Top-ranked Alexander Zverev reaches U.S. Open final, awaiting Americans Shelton or Tiafoe

Alexander Zverev will play for his second Grand Slam title this year after beating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) on Friday in the U.S. Open semifinals in New York.

Zverev will play Sunday against No. 8 seed Ben Shelton or No. 11 Frances Tiafoe, who play later Friday for the right to give the U.S. a man in Sunday's final. Both have been semifinalists in Flushing Meadows but neither has reached a major final.

The U.S. is still seeking its first men's Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick won in New York in 2003.

"Hopefully I cannot make the American dream come true on Sunday," Zverev said.

Zverev finally broke through at the French Open this year and followed by reaching the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Jannik Sinner. The German is 24-2 in Grand Slam matches this season.

"Sometimes just things go your way and I feel like I've had a lot of struggles at the major level, I was so close so many times, and maybe this year God has said that this is going to be your year and just enjoy the time on the court," Zverev said.

Now he will try to win the title that he still can't believe he let get away in 2020. Zverev won the first two sets against Dominic Thiem but then lost in a fifth-set tiebreaker, as Thiem became the first man to win the U.S. Open title after dropping the first two sets since 1949.

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Zverev was solid after going up two sets this time and has won 13 consecutive sets after becoming the first No. 1-seeded man to play five-setters in each of the first two rounds of a major.

Khachanov was trying to reach his first major final after a surprising run in New York. He arrived