Alexander Zverev has advanced to the semifinals of the US Open after defeating Botic van de Zandschulp with a score of 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium. This marks Zverev's first semifinal appearance at the tournament since 2021. He will face Karen Khachanov in the next round, who advanced after No. 28 seed Alexander Blockx retired due to injury.
Zverev, the tournament's No. 1 seed, has not dropped a set in his last three matches. This season has been a career-best for the German player, who is seeking his second Grand Slam title this year after winning his first at Roland Garros in June. He also reached the Wimbledon final earlier this year, making it the first time he has reached all four Grand Slam semifinals in a single year.
At 29 years and 143 days old, Zverev is the second-oldest player and the oldest in the Open Era to achieve this milestone. After his match, Zverev commented on the significance of reaching this stage in his career, stating, "The more often that you get to that stage, the more normal it becomes, which is something that you should never take for granted."
In the match against van de Zandschulp, Zverev converted two of three break points and took the first set in 37 minutes. The second set was closely contested until van de Zandschulp missed a critical break point in the 10th game. Zverev secured the second set in an hour and five minutes and dominated the third set, winning three of five break points.
Zverev has won six of his nine previous meetings with Khachanov. Their last encounter was in the Round of 16 at the 2025 Cincinnati Open, where Khachanov retired due to injury while trailing. The two also faced each other in the final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where Zverev won the gold medal.