Alexander Zverev reaches US Open final and nears top ranking

Alexander Zverev defeated Karen Khachanov in straight sets in New York to reach the 2026 US Open final. The German top seed eliminated Russian opponent Karen Khachanov with set scores of 6/3, 7/6 (9-7) and 7/6 (8-6) across 2h58 of play in New York, securing his second career final at Flushing Meadows six years after his runner-up finish in 2020.

The result marks the sixth Grand Slam final of his career and his second title match at Arthur Ashe Stadium since Dominic Thiem rallied from two sets down to beat him in 2020.

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Next challenge against Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe

Zverev awaits the winner of the match between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe. The 29-year-old German holds five victories without defeat against the eighth-seeded Shelton. Against the 11th-seeded Tiafoe, Zverev maintains an advantage of nine wins against a single loss.

The upcoming final places the world number 2 in direct contention for the top spot in the world rankings. A victory on the court will expand his current total of 7,950 points in the race to the ATP Finals in Turin.

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Chasing the world number 1 ranking in Turin race

Zverev currently ties Jannik Sinner with 7,950 points in the seasonal standings and leads the Italian player on tiebreak criteria.

If Zverev wins the US Open title, he will establish a 700-point lead over Sinner in the seasonal race. The German tennis player is completing his most successful season on the ATP circuit in 2026. After reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, he claimed his first Grand Slam championship at Roland Garros and finished as the runner-up at Wimbledon.

Historic milestones among elite Grand Slam performers

Zverev became the seventh male player this century to compete in three consecutive Grand Slam finals. He also joined the group of nine men in the Open Era who reached the semifinal stage at all four major tournaments in a single season.

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• Roger Federer
• Rafael Nadal
• Novak Djokovic
• Andy Murray
• Jannik Sinner
• Carlos Alcaraz

His 24 major match victories in 2026 set a single-season record for a German player, surpassing Boris Becker and his 22 victories from 1989. Becker still holds the national record for finals with 10 appearances across his career. Zverev has registered 52 match wins overall on the professional tour during the 2026 season.

Path from opening round struggles to the final

Zverev won in straight sets. He required 9h26 on court during the opening rounds against Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys at Flushing Meadows.

That initial duration represented the third longest time required by any competitor to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament since 1999.

The German player later secured consecutive straight-set wins over Alejandro Tabilo, Luciano Darderi and Botic van de Zandschulp. The semifinal victory against Khachanov marked his seventh win in 10 career encounters between the two competitors.