Tennis
2026-09-11 - Alexander Zverev vs Karen Khachanov
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : US Open Tennis Semi Final
Friday 11th September 2026 - Scheduled 3pm EST
8pm (British Time)
Preview
Despite winning the French Open earlier this year and also having played in a number of other Grand Slam Finals, you can sense there is some tension in the Alexander Zverev game right now. A big opportunity has opened up to quickly pick up another Grand Slam title with the big names all falling around him, but that can also build up pressure knowing such a chance has come up.
He goes into this Semi Final after a relatively comfortable Quarter Final win and Alexander Zverev has not had to exert too much physicality in the last three Rounds after opening up with consecutive five set wins. That should mean there is more than enough left in the tank to win the US Open, but physical issues have long been less of a concern than the mental challenges he faces.
Next up for Alexander Zverev is a match against an opponent who has reached the Quarter Final at all four Grand Slams, but who has never really found the consistency to become a feature of the top ten of the World Rankings.
These days Karen Khachanov is playing as the World Number 50, although the run in New York City is going to push him back into the Seeding spots for future Grand Slam events.
In 2022, Karen Khachanov reached the Semi Final here in New York City, but that is an outlier as to how his tournament has tended to progress at the US Open. In nine other main draw appearances, Karen Khachanov had not been beyond the Third Round, although he is in the final four again in 2026 and can use the experience of four years ago in his bid to go one better.
He lost in four sets to Casper Ruud in 2022 and this is a much tougher test for Karen Khachanov, especially as he had shown no real form ahead of this final Grand Slam of the season. All three hard court matches in the lead up to the US Open had ended in defeat, but Karen Khachanov has upset two top 20 Ranked opponents in his run to the last four.
Learner Tien will really be kicking himself for letting Khachanov off the hook in the Fourth Round, but the latter is unlikely to be given such a helping hand in this match. It also should be noted that the performance level had been declining before facing an injured Alexander Blockx in the Quarter Final and Karen Khachanov is going to have to find a step up in level to earn the upset.
He should take confidence from the fact he beat Alexander Zverev at the Canadian Masters last year, although Karen Khachanov has lost four of the five hard court matches against this opponent around that victory.
Alexander Zverev had not exactly piled up the wins in preparation for the US Open, but he will be happy enough with this match up and his level has been a lot more consistent than Karen Khachanov's in this tournament.
Out of the two players, Alexander Zverev may be the one who can rely on his serve a little more than Karen Khachanov, while the World Number 2 has been the superior return player. These are factors that should end up giving Alexander Zverev the decisive edge needed in this Semi Final and the French Open Champion can reach a second US Open Final with a relatively convincing victory when all is said and done.
Prediction
Lay the games with the top Seed in this tournament.
The Pick :
Alexander Zverev 3-0 Karen Khachanov
