Alexander Zverev has claimed victory against Karen Khachanov at the US Open semi-finals. The World No. 2 won in straight sets with a 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 score. This is the sixth time Zverev has reached a Grand Slam final.
That being said, Khachanov’s effort was truly admirable. He took the top seed to several tie-breaks and pushed him to his limit. In the third set, it even looked like Khachanov would claim victory to keep the match alive.
However, Zverev recovered from a major deficit and found not one, but two aces in the final minutes of the match to take the victory. Here are three moments from the absolute US Open thriller.
1. Alexander Zverev Vs. The Sun
During the third set, both players appeared to be bothered by the sunlight. Light reflecting from the opening and closing of doors in the hospitality boxes shot straight onto the players’ faces at times.
This was particularly a problem for Alexander Zverev, who took it up with the umpire. “So it’s a lottery whether you see the ball or not?” he asked, seemingly irritated. He even insisted that the doors should not be opened at that point in the match.
A replay later showed sunlight falling right on Zverev’s eyes as he prepared to serve. This could easily blind him to a certain extent and likely cost him multiple games.
In fact, after the sunlight issue, Zverev’s form dwindled. Khachanov was able to capitalize almost instantly in the third set.
2. The Intense Tie-Breakers
The tie-breakers between Zverev and Khachanov were in a league of their own. The two battled for a win every set. However, Zverev came out of the first set’s tie-breaker swinging. Khachanov’s forehand shot went wide in the set and led to Zverev moving ahead 5-3 and then 6-3.
It was the third-set tie-break where the intensity was turned up to the max.
After being on the edge of defeat, Karen Khachanov was finally clawing his way back in. He led the tie-break at 2-5. His serves were hitting the mark and for some time, Zverev looked tired and even frustrated.
But this wasn’t the end. Zverev turned the tables. He climbed his way up to 5-5 and later turned a 105 mph serve into a rally, finally completing it with an ace.
This was the rally that took Zverev straight to his US Open semifinal match point.
3. Zverev’s Comeback
If it wasn’t for Alexander Zverev turning the tables at the last minute, the outcome could have been very different. He dug his way out of the doomed tie-breaker after being down 2-5.
As Zverev climbed out of the third-set tie-breaker, he had already struck about 15 aces in the match. He’d finally arrived at match point and was one game away from victory.
The German maneuvered the ball perfectly, leading Khachanov to send a forehand out of bounds. This was how Alexander Zverev won the deciding set and the US Open semi-finals.
For a while there, it looked like Khachanov could have taken set two or even three. In the second set, Zverev hit a double fault, which would be one of many. At that point, the German found himself down 15-30 at 4-5. His opponent was already in the lead and his serves were not looking great.
Just when Zverev starts faltering, somehow he returns with a winner. He got three brilliant points with a serve plus one, a backhand, and a marvelous forehand shot.
Zverev responded to Khachanov’s aggression with perfect technique. This is how he took the match in straight sets. Now that Alexander Zverev has made it to the finals, he’ll either go up against Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe.
Both Americans are chasing the American Dream, while the world No. 2 waits with patient hands and commanding experience. In Zverev’s own words, the winner will be the one who plays the best tennis.