Alexander Zverev celebrated a significant victory by defeating Karen Khachanov in straight sets, advancing to the US Open final. After a series of night matches, Zverev thrived in the afternoon sun on Arthur Ashe Stadium, winning with scores of 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6).

The 29-year-old German capitalized on the absence of Jannik Sinner and the early exits of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, alongside a favorable draw, to reach his third consecutive Grand Slam final. Zverev had previously spent a record 16 hours and 40 minutes on court leading up to this match, and he added another three hours against Khachanov, without facing any top-20 players along the way.

This final presents Zverev with the opportunity to claim his second Grand Slam title after his triumph at the French Open and to erase the memory of his 2020 final loss to Dominic Thiem.

Khachanov, once a top-10 player and currently ranked 50, made waves in the tournament by eliminating third seed Felix Augur-Aliassime in the second round. In the semi-final, Zverev initially broke Khachanov's serve to secure the first set. Despite a setback that allowed Khachanov to return to serve, Zverev fought through a tie-break, showcasing his resilience with a remarkable 35-shot rally.

The third set mirrored the tension of the second, with Khachanov holding set points at 6-4. However, Zverev fought back, ultimately clinching match point at the first opportunity.

Zverev reflected on his performance, stating, "After the second round, at about 3am, we were laughing our asses off about how badly I was playing. Moving forward I was playing better tennis. Obviously I’ve been improving otherwise I wouldn’t be in the final. I’m enjoying it and I can’t wait for Sunday."