Alexander Zverev’s standout 2026 season has carried into the US Open, where he has again moved deep into a Grand Slam draw.

The German finally captured his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, and a month later he followed that breakthrough by reaching his first Wimbledon final. In New York, he arrived as the top seed after Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal and has largely justified that status, despite being pushed in the opening rounds.

Zverev required five sets to get past Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys, but he has since sharpened his form. His last three matches have all ended in straight sets, a run that has taken him into the semifinals of the tournament.

That result has also placed him in a notably small group. Zverev has now reached at least the semifinals of every Grand Slam in 2026, matching a feat achieved by only eight other men in the Open Era. The list includes Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, as well as Jannik Sinner and Andy Murray.

For perspective, it is a milestone even Carlos Alcaraz has not yet managed. Despite his seven Grand Slam titles, Alcaraz has never produced a semifinal-or-better run at all four majors in the same calendar year. His closest attempt came in 2025, when he won Roland Garros and the US Open and reached the Wimbledon final, but fell in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Zverev now turns to Karen Khachanov in the semifinals, where he will be expected to start as the favorite. He leads their head-to-head 6-3 and sits 24 places above him in the ATP Tour live rankings.

If he gets through that match, Zverev will face either Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe. He also holds strong records against both, leading Shelton 5-0 and Tiafoe 9-1.

New Australian Open chief Andrew Abdo has sparked debate by floating the possibility that Grand Slam tennis could move away from best-of-five sets in future editions.

“Maybe in the future, Slams at the different rounds or at different lengths of duration, you know, maybe we’re not playing best of 5 all the way through, maybe the point scoring system changes,” said Abdo, which has been heavily criticised by fans and pundits.

The reaction was immediate, and after two high-profile Grand Slam quarter finals between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen, the Australian Open moved quickly to temper the discussion.

“While innovation is part of the Australian Open’s DNA, five-set tennis is here to say,” said the Grand Slam sheepishly in a social media message.

Even so, the issue remains alive because of the late finishes that have become a concern, with several matches at this year’s US Open ending in the early hours of the morning.

Speaking on The Tennis Channel, Jim Courier made clear that he is not in favour of removing best-of-five matches from Grand Slams. He did, however, suggest that a different change could help shorten matches.

“It’s sort of linked to the history of the sport, right, how we compare generations of players,” said the American. “How do they do in this type of format? But it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be forever. I don’t know if it’s gonna happen in Australia.

“I find it interesting that as Craig Tiley was getting ready to leave the Australian Open, one of his parting shots, he said he thinks that there’s such an appetite for the sport that the women should play best of five from the quarterfinals on.

“I mean, I think eventually we are going to have to evolve, and I think the first little move forward will probably and should be, let’s go to no ad scoring, which will shrink the length of matches somewhat.

“And you got people who are permanent sports voices like Bill Simmons weighing in on how late the matches are going. This is a very topical thing right now.”

Best-of-five is used only at the four majors: the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Every other event on the calendar, including the nine Masters tournaments, is played best of three. The central issue, though, appears to be scheduling rather than match length alone.

Ben Shelton has long been billed as tennis’ next major force, but his US Open quarter final against Carlos Alcaraz felt like a different kind of statement. The American, who had previously lost all 18 of his matches against players ranked inside the top three, finally overturned that pattern with one of the best performances of his career.

Shelton beat Alcaraz in a high-quality five-set battle that was not settled until after 3:30am on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was the sort of match that confirmed how far he has come, especially under the pressure of facing one of the tour’s elite names deep into a major.

Andy Roddick was particularly taken with what Shelton produced. Speaking on Served, Roddick said: “It felt like such a massive growth match for Ben Shelton, using that big lefty serve, running it in on his [Alcaraz’s] body at 145[MPH].”

Roddick also argued that Shelton possesses a weapon no one else can truly replicate when it is functioning at that level. “That’s a superpower he has that no one else on earth has,” explained Roddick. “It, i’m smiling as I say this, sets up an all-American match with Frances Tiafoe. We will have an American playing for the US Open title.”

The road ahead remains demanding, even if the draw has opened up. Shelton is the second highest ranked player still in the event, and the exits of Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic leave him in a promising position.

He takes a 3-1 head-to-head lead into his meeting with Tiafoe, although they have not played since the 2025 season. Shelton has beaten him at the Washington Open, the Houston Open, and the US Open, with Tiafoe’s only win in the series also coming at the US Open in 2024.

If Shelton reaches his first US Open final, Alexander Zverev is the most likely opponent. That would present another severe test, as Shelton has lost all five of his career meetings with Zverev, including four in 2025. Only two of those defeats came on hardcourt, however, which gives him at least some reason to believe he can compete strongly on home soil.