"Before going to sleep, it was two sets for Shelton. Then I went to take a shower, and then it was 6-1" - Alexander Zverev recalls viewing experience of Shelton-Alcaraz

Alexander Zverev has made it a clean sweep of Grand Slam semi-finals in 2026 following a comprehensive 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 win over Botic Van de Zandschulp. He previewed his last-four contest while explaining his experiences of watching two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz exit the US Open.

The 29-year-old is in this stage in New York for the first time since 2021 and did so in formidable fashion. His Dutch opponent was outclassed in two of the sets with the second set could have even gone the other way with Van de Zandschulp squandering a set point.

In the end, a predictable straight set win went the way of Zverev and he was delighted to get over the line. "Happy to be here. Yeah, a different kind of match than two days ago, but still happy to win in straight sets and to move on," he began in his press conference.

Roland Garros earlier this year changed everything. The shackles have been released and know Zverev is a force to be reckoned with on the ATP Tour, more than ever now. This especially comes at Grand Slam level with his immense consistency this year proving to be pivotal as he capitalises on the misfortunes of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

He is the only player remaining in the tournament who has reached a major final, let alone win one. In the past, it was normally him trying to seal his first Grand Slam title. He was asked whether this will correlate itself to an advantage. "I think the person who's going to win here is going to be the one that plays the best tennis. It's sometimes as simple as that," he said.

"And yes, there are nerves, there are things that go on through your head when you're trying to win your first Major. I've been there, trust me. I've had every single thought that can be in your head. But I think, at the end of the day, good tennis will prevail, and we'll see who that will be on Friday and then also on Sunday."

As forementioned, his consistency at major level in 2026 has been one to be proud of. Four consecutive semi-finals with a third final on the spin looking likely for the German who is the one to beat in New York.

"I think the more often that you get to that stage, the more normal it becomes, which is something that you should never take for granted," he commented. "I think it's a very special feeling when it becomes normality."

However, he is still realistic. "I don't take it for granted at all. I know it can change in a heartbeat in tennis. I think confidence is something that is incredibly important, but also can go away quite quickly. I found that out after Wimbledon, where I didn't play well throughout the two hard-court tournaments, and then I found it again here. Of course, I'm happy with how things are going, but looking forward, I still hope to play two good matches here."

Zverev will face the 2022 semi-finalist Karen Khachanov in the semi-finals. The Russian recently plummeted down the rankings following a failed Canadian Open final defence, but those points have been collected back at Flushing Meadows and an underwhelming season has been put behind him.

"He's actually—I mean, there are people where you don't see it from the outside, but I think he's somebody that works extremely hard," Zverev explained. "He's on the practice courts more than most people. He's always searching for solutions. He's always trying to find new ways to get better. He has a great coach, who I've also known since juniors. He's been with him since juniors, so I respect that a lot, when people go together for a long time and go a long way together."

He unveiled the unique nickname the 30-year-old has been dubbed with. "We call him "the Professor", actually, because he knows everything about tennis. He knows every single string tension, he knows everyone, what everybody does. So that's quite fun. He's a great guy. I've known him for many, many years, somebody that I grew up with playing junior tournaments. And again, I have massive respect for him and I hope it's going to be a great battle on Friday."

He gave his tactical perspective of the upcoming contest. "I think the one that dominates the rallies from the baseline and is the more aggressive one will probably have the better outcome, for sure, because our games are quite similar in a way. We're two quite tall guys who try to dominate from the baseline. So whoever can do that better, I think, will win."

The night before, Alcaraz and Ben Shelton played out a five-set thriller in what was one of the matches of the tournament. A 3:33am finish was in store as the American favourite dumped out the reigning champion in a mesmeric match of tennis.

"Ben played extremely well from the baseline," Zverev recalled. "He was extremely stable from the baseline. I thought that was phenomenal to see. Of course, serving well, whatever, that's normal for him. But I think from the baseline, his tennis was incredibly good.

"I think Alcaraz, you could see maybe that he was a bit rusty. He hasn't played a top player in a while, because he was missing maybe a few more forehands than he used to. But I think credit to Ben. Ben played amazing."

Being someone that admittedly did not watch much tennis, Zverev was hugely intrigued by the outcome of this contest. "Before going to sleep, it was two sets for Shelton. Then I went to take a shower, and then it was 6-1. The fourth set was already over in about ten minutes."

Following that, he could not resist but tune in. "Then I was just too interested. Honestly, I'm used to going to sleep so late that it didn't make a difference to me. I have to change that now because I'm playing on Friday. I'm going to play earlier. That was fine yesterday. It was also interesting at some point, I have to be honest."

The upcoming scheduling Zverev found a bit strange. Him and Khachanov were set to play first on Arthur Ashe on Friday with Shelton and Frances Tiafoe competing in the night session. Normally, it should be the other way around, but that is not the case in this instance.

"I don't think it's something that's playing into my cards right now. I also think it's a bit strange that people who have two days off are playing after us. I've never experienced that. I've never experienced that in my 12 years on tour. But it is what it is. It's a bit strange."