Semifinal: Karen Khachanov vs. Casper Ruud (NOR)
Arthur Ashe Stadium — Day Session — Second Match
- Casper Ruud is driven by double goals this weekend. The softly-spoken 23-year-old could lift his first Grand Slam this weekend to propel him to the top of the rankings, all depending on Carlos Alcaraz's progress. Roland Garros finalist Ruud is becoming accustomed to major title pursuits, but has predominantly been seen as a clay-court specialist. Not anymore. The Norwegian, a finalist on hard courts at the Miami Masters back in March, has gone from strength to strength at Flushing Meadows. “I'm honestly a bit surprised that I made it to the semis here, but I think I have developed my hard-court game a lot the last year or two, and I think Miami this year showed me and I proved to myself that I can beat good players and reach later stages in big hard court tournaments,” Ruud said. “That has been a sort of confidence booster for myself… I think if you look at this tournament, US Open, and a couple of players who have been known as clay-court players, let's say Rafa [Rafael Nadal] and Dominic Thiem, they have both won here.” Ruud sounds ready to join that duo.
- The power play of Karen Khachanov cannot be understated. The 26-year-old broke into the Top 10 back in 2019 off the back of Paris Masters 1000 glory. Since then, he’s fluctuated in form, but on his day, the No. 27 see can blow holes in any armour. Khachanov also has the grit for going the distance, exemplified in five-set thrillers that toppled No. 12 seed Pablo Carreno Busta and in-form Nick Kyrgios to finally reach his first major semifinal. Khachanov leads the remaining quartet of players with 88 tournament aces (in contrast to Ruud’s 26) and an impressive 49% of his first serves have not come back over the net. If his sledgehammer delivery is landing, then the 26-year-old has more than a slight chance versus the favored seed.
- Ruud is speaking very eloquently about what New York and the US Open trigger in his mind. The 23-year-old has been using the roll of honor at Flushing Meadows and the general mystic attached to the city as motivation. “When you look at the Champions' Wall in the locker room here, you see there are many different players who have won this tournament,” the current world No. 7 said. “This is a Grand Slam the last 18 or 19 years that had more winners than the rest of them, because I'm not sure why, but there is something special I guess with this place. It shows that it's possible to do it here in New York. It's sort of a city of dreams and I guess that's helping me with my game and my motivation.” Has Casper been listening to plenty of Alicia Keys? Either way, a motivated Ruud is going to be dialled in on Sunday’s showpiece.
- Khachanov hailed a “step forward,” having escaped his rollercoaster with Kyrgios, relishing his opportunity in a debut second week at Flushing Meadows. The 2019 Roland Garros and 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinalist admitted he has an extra spring in his step with one of the all-time greats, Rafael Nadal, out of the title race. “Since he was out, I would say it was quite open for all the guys because everybody sees that there is opportunity to take the trophy,” Khachanov said. “I would say maybe it even increased the level for everyone.”
