Eight days of the 2022 US Open are in the books and already we are guaranteed a first-time Grand Slam men’s champion, with the lone remaining major winners—four-time US Open titlist Rafael Nadal and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic—both falling Monday to younger opponents (24-year-old Frances Tiafoe and 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, respectively).
For those remaining, this is largely uncharted territory. Only Alcaraz, Matteo Berrettini, and Andrey Rublev have ever played in a US Open quarterfinal, and none have ever advanced past this stage in Flushing Meadows. That will put a premium on mental toughness and fitness in the tournament’s final week. This stage of the event is where the toughest two weeks in tennis gets toughest—the long matches in the New York summer heat taking a toll as the level of competition steps up and the pressure rises.
With that in mind, here is a look at the eight men remaining in contention for the title of 2022 US Open champion:
Carlos Alcaraz
Seed/Rank: 3/4
Next Opponent: No. 11 seed Jannik Sinner
Best US Open Result: QF (2021-22 US Open)
Best Grand Slam Result: QF (2022 French Open, 2021-22 US Open)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 14/2
Time Spent on Court: 10:46
Outlook: Alcaraz staged his international breakthrough at last year’s US Open, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas and Cameron Norrie en route to the quarterfinals, and he has been a revelation in 2022, winning four titles, including two at Masters 1000 events. Despite his lack of experience—the Spaniard has never advanced past this stage at a Grand Slam—Alcaraz is now the tournament favorite, and it’ll be interesting to see how he responds to that pressure. Despite a five-setter in his fourth-round victory over Cilic, the 19-year-old has had a relatively easy road so far and should have plenty left in the tank as he looks to join Pete Sampras as the only teenagers to win a US Open men’s singles title in the Open Era.
Casper Ruud
Seed/Rank: 5/7
Next Opponent: No. 13 seed Matteo Berrettini
Best US Open Result: QF (2022 US Open)
Previous Best US Open Result: R3 (2020)
Best Grand Slam Result: F (2022 French Open)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 16/4
Time Spent on Court: 12:51
Outlook: Casper Ruud is following up a breakout 2021 with an outstanding 2022 and still has a shot to end this tournament ranked No. 1 in the world (as does Alcaraz, with Nadal in the current pole position). After never previously advancing past the Round of 16 at a major, the 23-year-old Norwegian has now done so for the second Slam in his past three attempts and will look to take the next step after falling to Nadal in the Roland Garros final in June. Ruud has gone either four or five sets in each of his last three matches, including a grueling five-setter against American Tommy Paul in the third round, so that could be a factor down the stretch.
Andrey Rublev
Seed/Rank: 9/11
Next Opponent: No. 22 Frances Tiafoe
Best US Open Result: QF (2017, 2020, 2022)
Best Grand Slam Result: QF (Australian Open 2021; French Open 2020, 2022; US Open 2017, 2020, 2022)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 16/4
Time Spent on Court: 11:58
Outlook: Rublev has alternated five-setters and straight-setters thus far, so wear and tear could be a factor but not likely a deciding one when he faces Tiafoe on Wednesday for a spot in the semifinals. (Both men have spent an identical 11 hours, 58 minutes on court to date.) The Russian has been one of the game’s top players over the last three years (Top 10 each of the past two seasons, with a likely year-end Top 10 finish again in 2022) and also one its best hard-court performers (seven titles on cement since 2020), but he has yet to break through in a major, going 0-5 in past trips to a Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Jannik Sinner
Seed/Rank: 11/13
Next Opponent: No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz
Best US Open Result: QF (2022)
Previous Best US Open Result: R16 (2021)
Best Grand Slam Result: QF (2022 Australian Open, 2020 French Open, 2022 Wimbledon, 2022 US Open)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 17/5
Time Spent on Court: 12:46
Outlook: Sinner, who just recently turned 21, has been impressively consistent in his young career, reaching the fourth round or better at seven of the 12 Grand Slams in which he’s competed and establishing himself as a Top 15 regular. He has yet to make it past the quarterfinals at a major, however, and lost in that round at Wimbledon to three-time US Open champion Novak Djokovic despite holding a two-sets-to-none lead. The young Italian reached this stage with a gritty win over Ilya Ivashka, his second five-setter of the tournament, so fitness could be an issue when he faces fellow rising star Alcaraz in the quarters.
Matteo Berrettini
Seed/Rank: 13/14
Next Opponent: No. 5 Casper Ruud
Best US Open Result: QF (2021-22)
Best Grand Slam Result: F (2021 Wimbledon)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 16/4
Time Spent on Court: 13:01
Outlook: Berrettini’s big serve-big forehand combination is among the most lethal in tennis and gives him a chance in any match, and his past successes in Slams and on tour bode well for his chances in these final stages. He struggled with injuries that cost him much of the early part of the year and lost both his matches during this year’s US Open Series, so he entered the tournament light on competition. With that, fitness could be a factor for the Italian, or the lack of match play could mean he’s fresh. Notably, of the eight men remaining, he has spent the most time on court through four rounds.
Frances Tiafoe
Seed/Rank: 22/26
Next Opponent: No. 9 Andrey Rublev
Best US Open Result: QF (2022)
Previous Best US Open Result: R16 (2020-21)
Best Grand Slam Result: QF (2019 Australian Open, 2022 US Open)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 13/1
Time Spent on Court: 11:58
Outlook: Tiafoe’s triumph over Nadal in the fourth round was his spotlight moment, but the D.C.-area native has been knocking on the door for years; 2022 marks his third consecutive year in the US Open Round of 16, and he thrives in front of his home-country fans. Both the Nadal win and his third-round victory over Diego Schwartzman were taxing affairs, but they didn’t go long, and Tiafoe has surrendered just one set thus far, the fewest of any man this tournament. Incredibly fit and incredibly fast, and at just 24 years old, fatigue shouldn’t be a factor when he faces Rublev in his second-ever major quarterfinal.
Nick Kyrgios
Seed/Rank: 23/25
Next Opponent: No. 27 seed Karen Khachanov
Best US Open Result: QF (2022)
Previous Best US Open Result: 3R (2014, 2016, 2018-19)
Best Grand Slam Result: F (2022 Wimbledon)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 14/2
Time Spent on Court: 9:45
Outlook: Kyrgios is among the hottest players on tour and would be seeded considerably higher had ranking points been awarded at Wimbledon, where he fell to Djokovic in the final. The 27-year-old Australian won the title at the US Open Series event in Washington, D.C., this summer and has been most impressive this fortnight—never more-so than in his four-set upset of No. 1 seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round. Of the eight men advancing to this stage, none have logged fewer hours on court (and by more than an hour).
Karen Khachanov
Seed/Rank: 27/31
Next Opponent: No. 23 seed Nick Kyrgios
Best US Open Result: QF (2022)
Previous Best US Open Result: 3R (2018, 2020)
Best Grand Slam Result: QF (2019 French Open, 2020 Wimbledon, 2022 US Open)
Sets Played/Sets Lost: 16/5
Time Spent on Court: 11:01
Outlook: Khachanov has not had an easy road to the quarterfinals, and only a retirement from Jack Draper (in the third set, with the two men tied a set apiece) has spared him from logging considerably more time on court. Fortunately for the 26-year-old, his opponent in the next round, Kyrgios, is known for his quick-strike tennis, so fitness shouldn’t be a major factor in that one. Khachanov’s ability to handle Kyrgios’ serve will be, however, which will also put a premium on the Russian’s own big delivery. The two men are first (85) and fourth (58), respectively, in aces this tournament.
