WHAT HAPPENED: Karen Khachanov pushed aside any US Open demons to reach his first quarterfinal in New York on Sunday evening. The 26-year-old beat an up-and-down Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to make his second Grand Slam quarterfinal.
The bruising baseliners were even in the fifth set until Khachanov took advantage of an untimely Carreño Busta error to break and snatch control of the fourth-round contest.
“I had good memories from the years before, playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium,” Khachanov said. “Always great when you go through and you have your best performance. [This] obviously counts as the best right now.”
He hadn’t advanced past the third round in six tries in Queens, losing in the first round three of those years. But now Khachanov will face Aussie Nick Kyrgios for a place in his first Grand Slam semifinal.
Khachanov and Carreño Busta had met eight times prior to Sunday, and Khachanov has won their past three matches. But the steady Carreño Busta broke early and took the opening set with a backhand winner down the line.
Carreño Busta had been here twice before en route to his two US Open semifinal showings. And the Spaniard was fresh off his Montreal title last month, in which he beat three top 15 players for his first Masters 1000 crown.
But Khachanov raised his level, and Carreño Busta faded. He sprayed a forehand volley long to end the second set. By the end of the third, he looked moments away from retiring. The Spaniard didn’t chase some balls, and he ambled to his chair.
Carreño Busta saw a trainer, complaining of dizziness, headaches and an upset stomach. He took tablets. Games later, he was back to attacking from side to side, and he served out the fourth.
“All of a sudden you don't know if you continue to play the same way. Then he kind of started to serve back to normal, return, playing more aggressive again. I think he started to step in more and more and feeling better and better. It's not easy,” Khachanov said.
But Carreño Busta’s comeback was halted in the sixth game of the decider. Serving at 2-3, 30-0, the Spaniard netted an overhead and never recovered.
WHAT IT MEANS: Khachanov weathered Carreño Busta’s best, and his worst, to achieve his best showing in Flushing Meadows. The 27th seed is a long way off his career-high ranking of No. 8. But a maiden semifinal showing later this week will change that. Khachanov is 1-1 against Kyrgios, and 1-2 against Medvedev.
MATCH POINT: Four Spanish men—Carreño Busta, Rafael Nadal, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Carlos Alcaraz—reached the US Open Round of 16 for the first time since 2013. Now it’s up to Nadal and Alcaraz to ensure Spain has US Open quarterfinal representation.
