The US Open goes crazy: Khachanov and Botic turn the draw upside down with two agonizing victories

Carlos Navarro - 8 Sep 2026 | 04:03
US Open 2026 Karen Khachanov Botic Van de Zandschulp Learner Tien ATP Arthur Géa

The New York night was set ablaze with two matches that are headed straight for the Hall of Fame of the year. Who reaches the final in the upper part of the madness bracket?

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Khachanov unleashed chaos at the US Open.

The US Open 2026 has gone crazy. More specifically, perhaps, the top half of the men's draw continues its relentless pursuit of surprise after surprise. The decimation of seeded players continues to confirm itself in the early hours of Monday, with unexpected comebacks in a land of great memories for today’s two protagonists. We are talking about Karen Khachanov and Botic van de Zandschulp, who sealed their spots in the quarter-finals of the last Grand Slam of the season in the most surreal way possible, with two agonizing comebacks that could take a severe physical toll (Khachanov defeated Tien 7-5, 4-6, 6-7(6), 6-1, and 6-4; van de Zandschulp overcame Géa 3-6, 6-7(0), 7-6(7), 7-6(3), and 6-4).

After the third round, many thought that the potential big rival for Alexander Zverev in the upper part of the draw was Learner Tien. Rising in form, a notable North American hard court swing, and matches that earn you credibility at Grand Slams, easily defeating Monfils and overcoming Jakub Mensik in a duel between two promising players who are already part of the tour. However, this US Open does not understand anything about predictable scripts... and crossed paths with one of those underrated guys who makes consistency his virtue: Karen Khachanov.

Here’s how the madness of the US Open unfolded in the early hours of Monday: incredible victories from Khachanov and van de Zandschulp

He arrived for the first time in many seasons without being a seeded player, amid his longest drought of victories in almost a decade... but nothing like New York to lift your spirits. Tien experienced firsthand how tough the Russian can be, hitting and hitting without punishment, never backing down against the impressive defenses of the American. He was down two sets to one, but pulled from the gas tank and power to drag Learner through the mud, coming out on top after a fifth set in which the American found himself a break up.

Karen caused devastation in Louis Armstrong and left us with a striking image: a distraught Tien burying his head in the towel. The American will have more opportunities, no doubt, but perhaps this US Open came a bit too soon, stretching his commitments too far and compromising his physical resistance along the way, one of the main qualities of a Khachanov who afterwards proclaimed himself as "still young", joking about the age of his opponents (Tien in the round of 16, Blockx in the quarterfinals).

But the day was not going to end there. Not by a long shot. Just a few meters away, Botic van de Zandschulp was facing a mission impossible: coming back from a 0-2 deficit against Arthur Géa after having handed over substantial advantages in both sets. Psychologically, everything pointed to a broken Dutchman... but you already know Botic, a guy with perplexing psychology and body language, a paradox in himself who put on his work clothes to give us a classic of over five hours.

The Frenchman, in a homage to many compatriots (a perhaps endemic French flaw), squandered multiple moments when victory was within his grasp: a match point in the third set tiebreak and a 5-4 lead with serve in the fourth set, no less. He couldn't withstand Botic's resilience, who rose to the occasion in both instances and pushed the match to the decisive set, where the Frenchman ended up succumbing to mental ghosts and accumulated fatigue (the Frenchman already had three qualifying matches under his belt). A night to remember in Flushing Meadows, a top half of the draw full of madness... and the big question: can anyone stop Sascha Zverev from reaching another Grand Slam final?

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El US Open se vuelve loco: Khachanov y Botic ponen el cuadro patas arriba con dos triunfos agónicos