Alexander Zverev reached the US Open semi-finals with a commanding 6-2 7-5 6-1 win over Botic van de Zandschulp, despite staying up until 3:30am watching Ben Shelton's shock defeat of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. The victory means the German has now reached all four Grand Slam semi-finals in a single season for the first time in his career, and he goes into the tournament as favourite following Alcaraz's exit. He will face Karen Khachanov, who advanced after Alexander Blockx retired injured while trailing in their quarter-final.

Zverev, bidding for a third consecutive Grand Slam final after winning his maiden major at this year's French Open, has endured a bumpy run in New York, needing five sets in his first two matches and conceding 80 games overall, the second-highest total by a top seed en route to the semis. He has now won 23 Grand Slam singles matches in 2026, a record for a German man in a season. Khachanov, unseeded at a major for the first time since 2018 after his ranking slipped to 50, is through to his first Slam semi-final since the 2023 Australian Open and says he must find his best form to beat Zverev.