---
title: "Zverev “lost” his racket in the US Open 2026 quarterfinal: judge launched an “investigation,” and the German found the racket in his own bag"
description: "At the US Open 2026, Alexander Zverev halted the quarterfinal for several minutes over a “missing” racket, which he ultimately found in his own gear. The German beat van de Zandschulp and advanced to the semifinals."
date: 2026-09-11T10:40:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zverev-lost-racket-us-open-2026
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Zverev “lost” his racket in the US Open 2026 quarterfinal: judge launched an “investigation,” and the German found the racket in his own bag

![Alexander Zverev in pink Adidas kit during the US Open-2026 quarterfinal, the lost-racket incident](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/11/zverev-propavshaya-raketka-us-open-2026/zverev-propavshaya-raketka-us-open-2026-1.webp)

In the quarterfinal of the 2026 US Open, the tournament's top seed, German tennis player Alexander Zverev, became the subject of a curious episode that halted play for several minutes and drew laughter from the stands. According to Sport RBC.UA, citing Ukrainian Tennis, during a break between games the player approached his bench and discovered that he could not find the racket he said he had left at his seat.

### The racket’s “disappearance” and an emotional dispute with the umpire

Unable to find the racket, Zverev immediately turned to the chair umpire and emotionally insisted that he had left the racket on the bench, only for it to have “mysteriously vanished.” Tension on the court rose: the judge, as described by the source, effectively launched a mini-“investigation,” trying to determine where the top seed’s racket could have gone. It was this scene that ended up in the video that went viral across media outlets.

### How the incident was resolved

The resolution turned out to be mundane. The judge suggested the German check his own gear. Zverev looked through his equipment and indeed found the “missing” racket there. The curious incident was settled amid laughter from the stands, and play resumed. Thus, the theory of a “theft” or any outside involvement was not confirmed — the racket had been in the tennis player’s personal belongings all along.

### Forgetfulness did not prevent a confident win

Despite the comical pause, Zverev did not lose his concentration in the match itself and left his opponent, the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, with no chances. The German won the match in three sets — 6:2, 7:5, 6:1 — and advanced to the US Open semifinals, marking his third semifinal at this tournament in his career.

### The road ahead: match against Khachanov and tournament context

In the next round, Zverev will face Karen Khachanov, competing under “neutral” status, and will battle for the right to reach the final of the New York Grand Slam for the second time in his career. For context: it was previously announced that in the US Open 2026 women’s final, Elina Svitolina will play the new world No. 1. It is also worth noting that in July 2026, Zverev was already in fine form, reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time in his career, which underscores his consistency on hard and grass courts this season.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Zverev “robbed” at the US Open 2026: judge launched an investigation over a missing racket (video)](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/zvereva-pograbuvali-us-open-2026-suddya-pochav-1789123099.html) - Подтверждено по источнику sport.rbc.ua
- [Davydenko assessed Zverev’s chances of winning the US Open 2026](https://www.championat.com/tennis/news-6592178-davydenko-ocenil-shansy-na-pobedu-zvereva-na-us-open-2026.html) - Подтверждено по источнику championat.com
- [German tennis player Zverev reaches the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time](https://www.mk.ru/sport/2026/07/07/nemeckiy-tennisist-zverev-vpervye-probilsya-v-chetvertfinal-uimbldona.html) - Подтверждено по источнику mk.ru
- [Alexander Zverev reaches the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time in his career](https://www.sovsport.ru/tennis/news/zverev-vyshel-v-chetvertfinal-uimbldona-gde-sygraet-s-friczem) - Подтверждено по источнику sovsport.ru