The top-seeded German held off a battling Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (8/6) on Friday to reach his third straight Grand Slam final. Zverev admits his US Open near miss against Dominic Thiem in 2020 left scar tissue, but all the doubts have finally been dispelled with his maiden major at the French Open.
Six years after an agonizing loss in the US Open final, Alexander Zverev says “everything is different” as he returns to the title match in Flushing Meadows.
Player Reflects on Final Matches Experience
“I think a lot has happened,” he said, reflecting on his journey. The athlete noted, “I’ve played in a lot of other finals. I’ve played a lot of big matches since then.” His comments highlight the extensive experience he has gained from competing at high levels.
It was a solid performance from Zverev, who labored through two five-set victories to open the tournament but hasn’t dropped a set since. Because i really started off the tournament, and I was, like, ‘Well, this is pointless because I’m not going to do anything here,’ and here I am sitting and preparing for a Sunday final, “It’s a great thing,. Zverev, who beat Khachanov in the gold medal match at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, seized the lone break of the opening set in the penultimate game and held serve to pocket the set. Zverev broke again to open the second set, Khachanov sending a backhand long after failing to land a first serve in the game, but later Zverev double-faulted to hand the Russian a break for 2-2 as they fought into a tie-breaker.
“I think the improvement has been quite dramatic for me,” he said.
