Zverev defeats Van de Zandschulp in straight sets to enter US Open semis

Alexander Zverev moved into the US Open semifinals with a straight-sets victory over the Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp, prevailing 6-2, 7-5, 6-1. The top-seeded German will meet Russia's Karen Khachanov in the last four. Zverev is chasing a second major title after winning the French Open this year.

Zverev acknowledged a slow start to his Flushing Meadows campaign but said the best-of-five format has allowed him to recover from early struggles and build momentum match by match. The 29-year-old has now reached the semifinals at all four Grand Slam tournaments this season and stands as the only player in the men's draw who has previously won a major.

The match itself featured a shaky opening on Zverev's serve, with the German serving five double faults early on, but van de Zandschulp's forehand errors handed Zverev a break in the fifth game and the first set. The Dutchman raised his level in the second set and came close to forcing a shift, but Zverev absorbed the pressure and ran off three consecutive games late to take control.

In the third set Zverev sealed an early break with an overhead smash and momentum carried him through to the finish. The win gave him his 23rd Grand Slam match victory of the year, surpassing Boris Becker's mark of 22 for German men set in 1989. Zverev, who was the US Open runner-up in 2020, will face Khachanov in a rematch of their Olympic final in Tokyo in 2021.