Zverev advances to semis, Blockx retires

NEW YORK (AP):

Alexander Zverev’s rocky start to the US Open has given way to a much smoother passage into the semi-finals.

The top seed beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday night to reach the final four of every Grand Slam tournament this season.

The French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up will face Karen Khachanov today, and Americans Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe meet in the other semi-final.

Zverev became the first men’s No. 1 seed in the Open era, which began in 1968, to play five-set matches in each of the first two rounds of a major tournament. However, he has won his last three matches in straight sets and is the only man to reach the semi-finals at all four majors this year.

After spending more than four-and-a-half hours on court in each of the first two rounds, Zverev has not played longer than two-and-a-half hours in any of his last three matches.

“In other tournaments I would have been out in the first round, but here, I can fight back and play best-of-five, play four and a half hours and somehow win the match and somehow get into the tournament,” Zverev said.

“And then I start playing better throughout the tournament and definitely happy to be in the semi-finals here, but of course I want to go further.”

Zverev reached the US Open final in 2020 but squandered a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem. It remained his closest brush with a major title until his breakthrough triumph at Roland Garros this year, and the German is now 23-2 in Grand Slam matches this season.

“He’s been in top-five for so many years,” Khachanov said. “This year, he did also step forward. He won his first Grand Slam, played the final in Wimbledon, as well. I mean, he’s coming up really in hot form, let’s say.”

‘My body just gave up’

Khachanov reached at least the third round of every major this year and has gone three rounds further in New York. He was expecting a stern test on Wednesday, but Alexander Blockx’s body could not hold up.

Blockx retired in the third set because of injuries to his leg, ribs, and back, sending Khachanov into his third Grand Slam semi-final.

“I think my body just gave up,” Blockx said.

Khachanov won the first two sets 6-2, 7-5, and the 28th-seeded Belgian decided he could not continue after Khachanov broke serve for a 3-2 lead in the third set.

“I was preparing really, really well for that matchup. It’s not easy really to play because from one side I was feeling I was dominating from the beginning, then I started to feel like he was struggling more and more,” Khachanov said, adding that he saw Blockx was “suffering all over his body”.

Khachanov is seeking his first appearance in a major final. The Russian previously reached the semi-finals of the US Open in 2022 and the Australian Open in 2023.

Unseeded at a Grand Slam for the first time since 2018, Khachanov has endured an unusual season. While he reached at least the third round of all four majors for the first time, he is just 10-15 in other events and lost in the opening round of all three hard-court tournaments before arriving in New York.

Blockx revealed that he nearly retired during his previous match because of the injuries. As he received treatment on multiple body parts on Wednesday, he said he was neither upset nor angry.

“To be honest, during the match, it was quite funny to me. I just had to laugh it off because it was just something new the whole time,” he said.

“I think it was just my body that started compensating as well. I was starting to do different motions than I usually do just to avoid the pain.”