By Gus "Walk-Off" Fields
Alexander Zverev is proof that sometimes the body just doesn't get the memo about being tired.
The German had a rocky start to this US Open, but it's turned into smooth sailing all the way to the semifinals, ESPN reported — his fourth Grand Slam semifinal appearance of 2026. He got there despite staying up until 3:30 a.m. watching the epic quarter-final battle between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz, according to BBC Sport, a night owl's gamble that apparently cost him nothing.
Elsewhere in the draw, British doubles pride is intact. Three-time US Open doubles champions Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram knocked out last year's winners, Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, to reach the semi-finals themselves, BBC Sport reported — a changing of the guard, or at least a temporary interruption of one.
There's a charm to both storylines that goes beyond the scoreline. Zverev's late-night viewing habits are the kind of detail that humanizes a player mid-tournament — even the guy trying to win a major can't resist watching two young stars slug it out until the small hours. And Salisbury and Ram, dethroning the champions rather than merely surviving them, remind you doubles tennis still has its own quiet drama running underneath the singles spotlight.
New York's back half always separates the players who can close from those who can only open well. Zverev, fresh off very little sleep, has done both so far. Final score's the last thing that mattered here — for one night, it was just two of the best showing everyone why they're worth staying up for.
— Compiled from reporting by ESPN and BBC Sport. — Gus "Walk-Off" Fields
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