There was little to separate Zverev and De Jong in the opening set, with De Jong going toe-to-toe with the heavy-hitting German in the baseline exchanges while also showing attacking intent on the approach.
He raced into a 3-0 lead, breaking Zverev in his opening service game and giving away just two points on his own serve, and later led 3-0 in the tie-break before Zverev reeled off seven consecutive points to take the first set.
Zverev had to be patient in the second, waiting until the 10th game to convert one of only two break-point opportunities offered to him, but was far too strong for his opponent in a 24-minute third set.
Relentless on serve in the final two sets, he conceded just six points across nine service games while also showing his formidable touch at the net, winning 29 of 38 points.
A former world number two, Zverev has won 24 ATP titles in his career, including seven Masters crowns, is a two-time Tour Finals champion and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
A Grand Slam title has so far eluded him but he has come agonisingly close, including at Roland Garros in 2024 when he led Alcaraz by two sets to one, and he is unlikely to get a better opportunity to end his wait for a first major.
He is one of only three top-10 seeds left in the draw, one of three players with experience of playing in a major final and is competing on a surface on which he has won nine of his 24 titles.
Perhaps most crucially, while many of his rivals have battled through multiple five-set matches, Zverev has won three of his four matches in straight sets and spent a little over nine hours on court.
