US OPEN

September 9, 2026

Alexander Zverev

Press Conference

A. ZVEREV/B. van de Zandschulp

6-2, 7-5, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Sascha, congratulations. Another straight-set win in a crisp 2:17, and now on to the semifinals. Your thoughts?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, happy to be here. Different kind of match than two days ago, but still happy to win in straight sets and to move on.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You have been in the position of trying to win your first slam against guys that have done it and been there before. Now you're the guy that's done it against guys looking for their first. Do you think that's an advantage, or how do you assess that kind of new situation?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: 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.

Yes, there are nerves, there are things that go on through your head when you try to win your first major. I have been there. Trust me, I have had every single thought that there 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.

Q. You have been remarkably consistent this year and made the semis of all four Grand Slams for the first time in one year. How are you taking that confidence and consistency going into these last couple of matches?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: 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. I think it's a very special feeling when it becomes normality.

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, and I found that out after Wimbledon where I didn't play well throughout the two tournaments on the hard courts, and then I found it again here.

But yeah, of course I'm happy with how things are going, but looking forward, I still hope to play two good matches here.

Q. You've known and played against Karen for a long, long time, and he was in here earlier and spoke of his respect for you. What do you appreciate most about his game and his approach?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: He's actually -- I mean, there is people that you don't see from the outside, but I think he's somebody that works extremely hard. He's on the practice courts more than most people.

He's always searching for solutions. He's always, you know, trying to find new ways to get better. He has a great coach who I've known also since juniors. He's been with him since juniors. That I respect a lot when people go together for a long time and go together a long way.

We call him The Professor, actually, because he knows everything about tennis, and he knows every single string tension, knows what everybody does, so that's quite fun.

But, yeah, he's a great guy. I've known him for many, many years, somebody that I grew up with playing junior tournaments. Again, I have massive respect for him. I hope it's going to be a great battle on Friday.

Q. Your thoughts on the keys of the match?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think the one that dominates the rallies from the baseline and is the one that is more aggressive will probably have the better outcome, for sure, because our games are quite similar, in a way, because we're two quite tall guys who try to dominate from the baseline. So whoever can do that better I think will win.

Q. Besides staying up to watch the match last night, was there anything particularly interesting you found about the tennis, like anything that stuck out?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: The what?

Q. Was there anything in particular about the match last night that stuck out tennis-wise?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, Ben played extremely well from the baseline. 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, top player in a while, because he was missing maybe a few more forehands than he used to do.

But I think credit to Ben. Ben played amazing.