Top seed Alexander Zverev cruises into US Open final with straight-set victory
It is Alexander Zverev against America.The No.1 seed in the U.S.
Open is one win from claiming his second Grand Slam title of the year — and of his career — after ousting unseeded Karen Khachanov, 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6), in Friday’s semifinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium.Zverev will face the winner of No.8 Ben Shelton and No.
11 Frances Tiafoe, entering Sunday’s final as a road favorite and a roadblock to the first American men’s Grand Slam champion in 23 years (Andy Roddick) and the first black men’s U.S.Open title winner since 1968 (Arthur Ashe).Zverev is 5-0 all-time against Shelton, winning the past 10 sets they’ve played.
Zverev is 9-1 in his career against Tiafoe — only losing to the Maryland native in 2017 — winning each of their four Grand Slam encounters.Zverev, who is 1-4 all-time in Grand Slam finals, was two points away from defeating Dominic Thiem to win the COVID-impacted 2020 U.S.Open, but the German instead became the first Open Era finalist in Queens to win the first two sets, then lose the match.Zverev was pushed to five sets in his first two matches — he entered the semifinals having spent more time on court than any player since at least 1991 — but he has now won four consecutive matches in straight sets, overcoming a pair of set points in the final tiebreaker of Friday’s victory.After eliminating Khachanov — who was making his second U.S.
Open semifinal appearance and seeking to become the lowest-ranked Grand Slam finalist in two decades — Zverev will finally face a top-20 player for the first time in this tournament, which has featured the latest in his series of soft draws.At the 2020 U.S.Open, Zverev didn’t face a player inside the top-20 until losing in the finals.
En route to his first finals appearance at Wimbledon this year, the 29-year-old faced only one top-12 player.And when he became the first player in the past four years to win a Grand Slam besides the sport’s three biggest stars (Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik...