Zverev breaks 37-year record, US Open title opportunity wide open

Alexander Zverev set a new milestone for German tennis after reaching the 2026 US Open semifinals. With Jannik Sinner absent and Carlos Alcaraz eliminated, the 29-year-old's chance to claim his second Grand Slam is clearer than ever.

The 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Botic van de Zandschulp not only gave Zverev his third appearance in the US Open semifinals. This result also helped him increase his total Grand Slam match wins in 2026 to 23, surpassing the 37-year-old record of Boris Becker with 22 wins in the 1989 season. The German legend reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, the semifinals of Roland Garros, before consecutively winning Wimbledon and the US Open.

Zverev's journey began with five wins at the Australian Open. He then won all seven matches to triumph at Roland Garros, added six wins on the way to the Wimbledon final, and has now won five matches in New York.

This is also the second time in three months Zverev has surpassed a milestone associated with Becker. The Roland Garros title in June made him the first German male player to win a Grand Slam since Becker triumphed at the Australian Open in 1996.

The title in Paris ended a long period of Zverev living with doubts. Before that, he had lost three Grand Slam finals, respectively at the 2020 US Open, 2024 Roland Garros, and 2025 Australian Open.

After breaking the biggest barrier in his career, Zverev is showing a stronger mentality under pressure. This was evident at this year's US Open, where the top seed had to go through two five-set matches in the early rounds.

Zverev spent a total of 9 hours and 26 minutes to get past Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys. However, he became more consistent as the tournament progressed, beating Alejandro Tabilo, Luciano Darderi, and Van de Zandschulp in straight sets.

“At other tournaments, I might have been eliminated in the first round. But here, I can fight in five-set matches and play for over four hours. I have improved round by round,” Zverev shared.

The path to the title is also widening for the German player. Sinner is absent from the tournament, while defending champion Alcaraz was eliminated by Ben Shelton after a five-set quarterfinal.

Zverev is currently the only remaining player in the men's singles draw who has won a Grand Slam. His next challenge is Karen Khachanov, who advanced after Alexander Blockx retired due to injury.

This matchup recreates the Tokyo 2021 Olympic gold medal match, where Zverev defeated Khachanov to stand on the top step. If he continues to overcome the Russian opponent, he will raise the record to 24 wins and be just one match away from his first US Open title.