After rocky start to US Open, Zverev reaches 4th major semi of 2026

Alexander Zverev's rocky road to start the US Open turned into smooth sailing to the semifinals. The No. 1 seed beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday night, putting him into the final four of every Grand Slam tournament this season. The French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up will play Friday against Karen Khachanov, while Americans Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe meet in the other semifinal. Zverev became the first men's No. 1 seed to play five-set matches in each of the first two rounds of a major in the Open era, which began in 1968. But he won his last three matches in straight sets and is the only player -- men's or women's -- to reach all four major semis this year. The eight games Zverev dropped against van de Zandschulp were his fewest in a match this tournament. He has now held serve in 31 consecutive games going back to the second set of his third-round match with Alejandro Tabilo. Still, Zverev has spent 16 hours and 40 minutes on court, the most by any man en route to the semifinals at the US Open since the ATP began tracking match times in 1991. Zverev owns a 6-3 edge in his head-to-head with Khachanov, with their lone meeting at a major coming in the 2018 French Open round of 16, which Zverev won in five sets. They also met in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics gold medal match, with Zverev prevailing in straight sets. Historically, No. 1 seeds are 22-1 in major semifinals or finals against unseeded opponents. ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.