The 2026 US Open has set up an exciting men's singles final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev will face 23-year-old Ben Shelton for the final Grand Slam ****** le of the season.
However, after his semifinal win over Karen Khachanov, Zverev's on-court antics before the serve became a talking point, with Khachanov making it clear that some of them did not sit well with him.
Zverev's habit of bouncing the ball several times before serving has raised eyebrows during recent tournaments. Broadcasters have even started tracking how many times Zverev bounces the ball before serving, turning the habit into a running joke online.
However, it's not fun for the opponents who wait to receive. After the semifinal loss, Khachanov explained how Zverev's repeated ball bouncing can affect the other player's physical and mental preparation.
"His ball-bouncing before the serve bothers a lot of players," Khachanov said. "He takes a long time. You prepare yourself, then he bounces the ball another 12 times, so you have to prepare and split-step again almost every point."

#times #however #final #serve

Update morning 9/12: Ben Shelton outlasted fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the all-American semifinal to set up a dramatic men's final vs. top-seeded German Alexander Zverev on Sunday afternoon. Zverev has had quite an easy draw to the final, and he'll be the favorite to win his second major this year. Shelton's big serve will test him, and it will be on Shelton to hit competitive backhands to match strokes with Zverev, who also won the French Open. Meanwhile, the women's final between No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina should be a banger, and that kicks off in just a few hours.
Update late night 9/10: It will be No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina for the women's ****** le at the 2026 US Open on Saturday afternoon. The men take the spotlight on Friday with an all-American semifinal between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, plus No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev vs. unseeded Karen Khachanov.
The 2026 US Open is down to the Final Four, and both the men's and women's draws have produced some fantastic matchups. It's been 23 years since an American man won a tennis Grand Slam, but there are two U.S. natives facing off against each other in the semifinals — on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, no less. The women's draw went straight chalk with the top four seeds advancing to the semis, promising to bring fans the highest level of tennis possible.
The women's semifinals both take place on Thursday, September 10. Top-seeded masher Aryna Sabalenka takes on American No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula to open play at 7 p.m. ET at Arthur Ashe. Sabalenka looked to be on the brink of a meltdown in the quarterfinals against Wimbledon champ Linda Nosková, but she dug deep to win the match and stay alive. Sabalenka is the biggest hitter on tour, but she's been in a slump in 2026 without a major championship. She has already lost her world No. 1 ranking after the tournament, but she won't care if she can win her fifth major and third straight US Open ****** le. The 32-year-old Pegula is enjoying a late career peak, and she's still chasing her first Grand Slam. Pegula's steady nature could be an advantage against the more emotional Sabalenka.
Elena Rybakina faces American Coco Gauff in the night cap. Rybakina is the No. 2 seed in this tournament, but she will surpass Sabalenka for the world No. 1 ranking when it's over regardless of what happens. At 27, Rybakina is the second-oldest woman to ever ascend to world No. 1 in the rankings for the first time. Gauff will be the fan favorite. She was not at her top level in her quarterfinal victory over Mirra Andreeva, but she still got the job done to advance. Gauff beat Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open final and the 2025 French Open final. She's seeking her third major at age-22.

#final

Alexander Zverev has performed better than any other ATP player at Grand Slams this year.
Men's tennis had been dominated by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz over the past couple of years, with this year's Australian Open being the ninth consecutive major one of them had won.
This all changed at Roland Garros, where Zverev won his first major **** le after Sinner suffered a shock early exit.
Zverev has now reached the US Open final, his third consecutive Grand Slam final this year, and after his win over Karen Khachanov, he spoke about his impressive season at the major tournaments and how it compares to Sinner and Alcaraz.
Photo by Manuela Davies/USTA via Getty Images

#sinner #alcaraz #year #final

Six years after an agonizing loss in the US Open final, Alexander Zverev says "everything is different" as he returns to the ***** le match in Flushing Meadows.
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.
He followed that with a runner-up finish at Wimbledon, and even though he knows he'll be in hostile territory on Sunday -- taking on either American Ben Shelton or compatriot Frances Tiafoe -- he relishes the challenge.
"I think a lot has happened," he said. "I've played in a lot of other finals. I've played a lot of big matches since then.

#alexander

Alexander Zverev beat Karen Khachanov at the US Open to reach a third Grand Slam final in a row and continue his bid for a second major of the year.
The top seed put in a commanding performance to beat the Russian 6-3 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (8-6).
Germany's Zverev is the favourite in New York after ending his long wait for a Grand Slam ***** le with his French Open triumph in June.
He reached the Wimbledon final in July, losing in four sets to world number one Jannik Sinner.
The 29-year-old will play either eighth seed Ben Shelton or 11th seed Frances Tiafoe in Sunday's showpiece, with the two Americans set to meet in Friday's night session.

#slam

NEW YORK – It was a double celebration for Katerina Siniakova and for Taylor Townsend, the final piece of the puzzle to a career Grand Slam.
Siniakova and Townsend, the tournament's No. 1 seed, captured their first U.S. Open women's doubles ******* le together, rallying to beat young Americans Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 in the final in Arthur Ashe Stadium on on Friday, Sept. 11.
Townsend, a 30 year-old American, and Siniakova, a 30-year-old from Czechia, captured their first major ******* le at Wimbledon in 2024 before adding the 2025 Australian Open, the 2026 French Open and this US Open championship.
Townsend and Siniakova found themselves down 0-3, and went on to lose the first set, but then they turned it on, blanking the wildcard entrants in the second set, before slamming and forehand baselining their way to a 6-2 closing set.
MEN'S SEMIFINALS HIGHLIGHTS: Zverev faces Khachanov and Shelton faces Tiafoe for place in final

#open #final

Alexander Zverev is enjoying a historic 2026 season, having won his maiden Grand Slam ****** le at Roland-Garros and recently reaching the US Open semifinals. The German top seed showed no signs of fatigue as he reached all four Grand Slam semifinals in a single season for the first time in his career.
Zverev will now face Russia's Karen Khachanov, who advanced to the semifinals after Alexander Blockx retired while trailing 6-2, 7-5, 3-2. As the two will battle for a place in the final, let's take a look at their biggest support system: their family, including their kids.
Zverev has kept his personal life, especially his kids, largely private. He welcomed his daughter, Mayla, in March 2021 with his former girlfriend, Brenda Patea. Following an out-of-court settlement in 2024 that ended their highly publicized legal dispute regarding domestic abuse, the two now share joint custody and focus on co-parenting.
Despite his fame, Zverev makes a conscious effort to keep Mayla away from the public eye. "I want her to be a normal child, growing up with a normal life," Zverev said of his approach. "I try to keep her out of social media, all the Instagrammie stuff."

#slam #mayla #season #life

Alexander Zverev is preparing for a huge opportunity at the US Open as he braces for his semi-final against Karen Khachanov, with a place in the final on the line.
Away from the court, the German tennis star has been in a long-term relationship with Sophia Thomalla, who has regularly been seen supporting him during his matches.
Photo by Thomas F. Starke/Getty Images
Zverev has been dating Sophia Thomalla since 2020, with the couple now having been together for almost six years.
Thomalla has frequently been spotted in the stands at Zverev's matches and has remained a familiar presence throughout his tennis career.

#karen

Karen Khachanov and Veronika Shkliaeva grew up together in Moscow
They got married in 2016
Khachanov and Shkliaeva are parents to two sons
Karen Khachanov found his perfect match in his wife, Veronika Shkliaeva, long before he became a tennis star.
The childhood sweethearts grew up in Moscow and began dating as teenagers. They married in 2016 — the same year Khachanov won his first ATP singles ****** le — and later welcomed two sons, David and Mikael, according to Moskvichka magazine.

#khachanov #karen #moscow #sons

Russian tennis star Karen Khachanov is still looking for his first Grand Slam ******* le in a career where he's gotten close -- he's made the semifinals of the Australian Open back in 2023 and has made the semis at the U.S. Open twice, including 2026 when he'll meet No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev.
And if you're here, you might be wondering: Who is Khachanov's wife? We have an answer: It's Veronika Shkliaeva. They got married back in 2016 and have a sons together named David and Mikael. You can see photos of his family that he's posted over the years on Instagram:

#back #karen #khachanov

You can watch a US Open semifinal match for about the price of the Honey Deuce.
The get-in price for Session 24 of the US Open—the semifinal match at 2 p.m. ET between Alexander Zverev and Karen Khachanov—dropped as low as $28, down from about $300 at the start of the main draw two weeks ago, according to TicketData. It's a 91% dip compared to just three days ago.
The price dip is likely due to the lack of star power between the two players, even though Zverev is the tournament's No. 1 seed.
TicketData listed its final pre-match average as $40 two hours before the match; pairs of tickets were available on resale sites for $33 shortly after.
The night session match between Americans Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton still has a $300 get-in price. It has dipped by 27% over the last three days—ticket prices often drop on the day of the event—but it's still above the tournament average of $296 at the start of the main draw on Aug. 30.

#session

All four of the top women's seeds are into the semi-finals of the US Open for the first time since the 1975 edition of the tournament.
All of two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, new world No 1 Elena Rybakina, former finalist Jessica Pegula and 2023 winner Coco Gauff survived three-set thrillers to make the last four, with Kazakhstan's Rybakina usurping Sabalenka at the top of the world rankings as a result.
The men's tournament has stood in sharp contrast: top seed Alexander Zverev has now reached the semi-finals of all four grand slams this year, but many of the other big names crashed out early.
The shocks started in the first round as 23-time grand slam champion and fourth seed Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest exit at a major in 20 years, with third seed and last year's semi-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime and 2024 runner-up Taylor Fritz falling in the third round.
Carlos Alcaraz made a fine run to the quarter-finals on his return from a nearly five-month injury layoff but lost to Ben Shelton in a deciding set tiebreak, with an American finalist guaranteed as the eighth seed faces Frances Tiafoe. The men's semis are completed by 2022 semi-finalist Karen Khachanov.

#tournament

The shocks started early at this US Open as 23-time grand slam champion and fourth seed Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest exit at a major in 20 years, losing in the first round.
The Serb broke down in tears as he fell in five sets to Mariano Navone, in a match where he physically struggled with the heat and humidity and threw up several times.
The defeat - his first time losing in the opening round of a slam since the Australian Open in 2006 - brings an abrupt end to his quest for a 25th major **** le.
Third seed and last year's semi-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime is the biggest name to fall so far, losing in four sets to Russia's Karen Khachanov in the second round, while last year's finalist and 10th seed Amanda Anisimova crashed out in the third round to Anastasia Potapova.
2024 runner-up Taylor Fritz also lost in the third round, falling in five to 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo, as did French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli on a Saturday of shocks.

#Third #shocks

The shocks have already started at the US Open as 23-time grand slam champion and fourth seed Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest exit at a major in 20 years, losing in the first round.
The Serb broke down in tears as he fell in five sets to Mariano Navone, in a match where he physically struggled with the heat and humidity and threw up several times.
The defeat - his first time losing in the opening round of a slam since the Australian Open in 2006 - brings an abrupt end to his quest for a 25th major ***** le.
Third seed and last year's semi-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime is the biggest name to fall so far, losing in four sets to Russia's Karen Khachanov in the second round, while last year's finalist and 10th seed Amanda Anisimova crashed out in the third round to Anastasia Potapova.
2024 runner-up Taylor Fritz also lost in the third round, falling in five to 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo, as did French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli on a Saturday of shocks.

#seed #Third #losing

The shocks have already started at the US Open as 23-time grand slam champion and fourth seed Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest exit at a major in 20 years, losing in the first round.
The Serb broke down in tears as he fell in five sets to Mariano Navone, in a match where he physically struggled with the heat and humidity and threw up several times.
The defeat - his first time losing in the opening round of a slam since the Australian Open in 2006 - brings an abrupt end to his quest for a 25th major ******* le.
Third seed and last year's semi-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime is the biggest name to fall so far, losing in four sets to Russia's Karen Khachanov in the second round, while last year's finalist and 10th seed Amanda Anisimova crashed out in the third round to Anastasia Potapova.
2024 runner-up Taylor Fritz also lost in the third round, falling in five to 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo, as did French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli on a Saturday of shocks.

#round #shocks

The shocks have already started at the US Open as 23-time grand slam champion and fourth seed Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest exit at a major in 20 years, losing in the first round.
The Serb broke down in tears as he fell in five sets to Mariano Navone, in a match where he physically struggled with the heat and humidity and threw up several times.
The defeat - his first time losing in the opening round of a slam since the Australian Open in 2006 - brings an abrupt end to his quest for a 25th major ****** le.
Third seed and last year's semi-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime is the biggest name to fall so far, losing in four sets to Russia's Karen Khachanov in the second round.
29th seed Cameron Norrie was the first of the Brits to make a tame exit, losing in four sets to France Lucas Van ****** che, while Belinda Bencic is an early women's seed to fall, beaten by Yulia Putintseva.

#losing #exit #major

Russian veteran Karen Khachanov defeated an ailing third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime Thursday in the second round of the US Open in four sets.
Khachanov, unseeded this year but a familiar face in the latter stages of big tournaments, beat Auger-Aliaissime 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
The 26-year-old Canadian, a two-time semi-finalist at Flushing Meadows, eked out a first-set tiebreaker against the hard-hitting Russian, who himself made the US Open semifinals in 2022.
But Auger-Aliassime, who appeared to give up quickly on some ***** , was undone by a rash of unforced errors in the subsequent sets. He made 47 in all, compared with 30 for Khachanov.
Khachanov also won several key points with blistering backhand down-the-line winners.

#auger #sets

Third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime said he was "dizzy and seeing spots" in a surprise second-round loss to Karen Khachanov at the US Open.
A two-time semi-finalist at the tournament, the Canadian lost 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 6-2 to the unseeded Russian.
Auger-Aliassime is the highest-ranked player to exit in the men's singles draw so far in New York.
The 26-year-old said afterwards he had started to feel unwell early on against Khachanov.
"After a set and a half, I just couldn't feel well and was dizzy and seeing spots and couldn't recover," he said. "I thought maybe it would pass, but it didn't.

#feel

NEW YORK (AP) — An additional 13 teams, one featuring Venus Williams and some comprised of married couples, have entered the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship.
The new duos announced Monday by the U.S. Tennis ***** ociation raised the total to 29 teams for the 16 spots in the main draw, which will be held on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26.
Williams is partnering with Alexander Bublik for the tournament that was overhauled last year, with a $1 million prize to the winning team, in an effort to get top singles players to compete. Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and 24-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic headlined the initial list of 16 teams who entered.
Elina Svitolina and her husband Gael Monfils, who is expected to play his final Grand Slam event at the U.S. Open, and newlyweds Katie Boulter and Alex De Minaur also were among the new entries.
The other new teams: Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, Anna Kalinskaya and Lorenzo Musetti, Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul, Maria Sakkari and Karen Khachanov, Tatjana Maria and Valentin Vacherot, Reese Brantmeier and Michael Zheng, Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arevalo, Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliovaara, Demi Schuurs and Julian Cash, and Caty McNally and Robert Cash.

#teams #grand #maria #singles