Alexander Zverev (R) and Karen Khachanov (Reuters Photo)
“He’s been in top 5 for so many years. He won his first Grand Slam.
“He is where he is, because he deserves to be there,” Khachanov said. “I will have to come up with the best form,” he said. He’s always, you know, trying to find new ways to get better,” Zverev said of Khachanov, one of the more popular figures in the locker-room.
This year he also took a step forward. He’s in hot form. “I will have to have patience. “People don’t see from the outside, but he’s somebody that works extremely hard. He’s on the practice courts more than most people. He’s always searching for solutions. “I have massive respect for him. I hope it’s going to be a great battle.”
Zverev, 29, has already been here before. He reached the US Open final in 2020 and came within two points of the title before Dominic Thiem turned the match around in a five-set battle. Almost four years later, he reached the final at Roland Garros and followed it up with another Grand Slam final at Melbourne Park in 2025, but was still waiting for his first Slam crown. The top seed booked his place in the last four with a commanding 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 win over Botic van de Zandschulp. It is his 13th Grand Slam semi-final, second only among active men to Novak Djokovic’s 55, and his 51st match win of the season, the most on the ATP Tour. Zverev leads their head-to-head 6-3, including his victory over Khachanov in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics gold-medal match.
This is what we’ve been dreaming of as a kid, you know, to play on the further stages of this event, that one day it can come,” Khachanov said. The lanky German finally flipped the script in Paris in June, claiming his maiden Slam title before reaching the final again at Wimbledon. “Every Grand Slam, every big stage, you want to do well. “That’s why I think it’s a little bit a moment of appreciation, and at the same time, ambition and motivation for what’s coming next.
Khachanov did, however, beat him in Canada last year, a win that came after several defeats to the German.