Alexander Zverev reaches final without a Top 20 win

Alexander Zverev has reached another Grand Slam final without meeting a Top 20 opponent, reviving questions about the strength of his route. The German will play Ben Shelton at Flushing Meadows in his third successive major final, after winning Roland-Garros and finishing runner-up to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon.

The pattern is unusual. Since 2020, only three players have reached a Grand Slam final without facing a Top 20 player, and all three cases belong to Zverev: the 2020 US Open, this year’s Roland-Garros and the current tournament. It means his run of deep major performances deserves some qualification, even though his consistency has been exceptional.

Zverev has won 24 of his 26 Grand Slam matches this season. Against Top 10 opponents, however, his record is 1-2, with the victory coming against a physically limited Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon. He lost to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets in the Australian Open semi-finals and to Sinner in four sets in the Wimbledon final.

The results have still moved Zverev to the front of the season race, where he is level with Sinner on 7,950 points, while the Italian is currently injured. Shelton, competing in his first Grand Slam final, is next in the German’s way, but Zverev’s defining achievement so far is his sustained presence at the sport’s biggest stages rather than a series of wins over the leading names.