NEW YORK : Alexander Zverev took another step towards a second Grand Slam title by beating Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2 7-5 6-1 to reach the U.S. Open semi-finals, where the German will face Karen Khachanov.
The 29-year-old French Open champion made a slow start to his campaign at Flushing Meadows but has steadily found his form.
“I think you saw in the first two rounds, I really didn’t play well,” Zverev said.
“In other tournaments I would be out in the first round, but here I can fight back and play best of five sets, play 4-1/2 hours. I’ve started playing better throughout the tournament and I’m definitely happy to be in the semi-finals here.”
Zverev has now reached the semi-finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments this year and is the only major champion remaining in the men’s draw.
“I don’t take it for granted at all,” he said. “I know it can change in a heartbeat in tennis. I think confidence is something that is incredibly important but also can go away quite quickly.”
The top seed was far from convincing on serve early on at Arthur Ashe Stadium, committing five double faults in an erratic opening set. Van de Zandschulp’s forehand errors, however, allowed Zverev to break in the fifth game before the German closed out the set.
The Dutchman regrouped in the second set and threatened to level the contest, but Zverev absorbed the pressure and won three games in succession late in the set to seize control.
The 2020 U.S. Open runner-up then broke early in the third set with an overhead smash and cruised to victory to reach his third semi-final in New York.
Zverev’s 23 Grand Slam match wins this year also moved him past Boris Becker’s German men’s record of 22, set in 1989.
He will next meet Khachanov in a rematch of their gold-medal match at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
