Karen Khachanov has edged Nick Kyrgios in a big-serving battle in the early hours of Wednesday morning to charge into the first Grand Slam semi-final of his career at the US Open.

In a match devoid of atmosphere in the first half and overflowing with electricity in the second half, the 27th seed withstood 31 aces and vocal crowd support for his opponent en route to a 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 6-7(3) 6-4 win in three hours, 39 minutes after earlier coming within two points of victory in the fourth set.

Khachanov, who fired 30 aces himself, advances to play Norway’s Casper Ruud, who has the opportunity to finish the tournament at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“I did it! I did it!,” Khachanov said. “I’m really proud of myself, I was focussed from the beginning to the end.

“It was a crazy match but I came ready to fight and to play five sets.”

_{^{A man in the second row of Arthur Ashe Stadium receives a haircut during the match.}}
Big serving dominated the first two sets with short points and an unusually subdued Kyrgios giving the crowd little energy to feed off. But as the players began to play more extended rallies beginning in the third set the New York crowd found its voice, especially when Kyrgios dominated the fourth-set tie-break to force a decider.

But the Australian dropped serve at the beginning of the fifth and Khachanov held firm all the way to the finish line. Khachanov converted four of his first six break point opportunities (4/8 for the match), while Kyrgios converted just two of nine break chances.

“From the beginning until the end, great performance – at least I will talk about myself, from my side,” Khachanov said in his post-match press conference. “I stayed there. I waited for my chances. I created them as well. I’m super happy, super proud that I could finish the match, I could take it. Serving for the match [is] never easy. [I am] just super happy to do this step forward to make my first semi-final.”

Khachanov, who needed five sets to ousts Montreal champion Pablo Carreno Busta in the fourth round, has survived a gruelling path to the semi-finals. He also need four sets to beat Denis Kudla in the first round, and Thiago Monteiro in the second round. He was also headed for another four or five setter with Jack Draper in the third round before the young Brit retired injured.

_{^{Comedian Trevor Noah (right) was in attendance for the US Open quarter-finals Tuesday night.}}
Khachanov has surged 13 places during the tournament to No. 18 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Depending on other results, he could crack the Top 10 if he wins the tournament.

Kyrgios, who finished the tournament with 116 aces and a tour-leading 27 wins since the beginning of the grass season, climbed to No. 19 in the live standings during the tournament to pass Alex de Minaur as the highest-ranked Australian.

“I’m obviously devastated. But all credit to Karen. He’s a fighter. He’s a warrior. I thought he served really good today,” Kyrgios said in his post-match press conference. “Honestly probably the best server I played this tournament. The way he was hitting his spots under pressure. He just played the big points well.

“Really wasn’t anything in it. I’m just devastated obviously. Just feel like it was either winning it all or nothing at all. I feel like I’ve just failed at this event right now. That’s what it feels like.”

Jannik Sinner is one of the brightest young talents in recent memory. The Italian, who turned 21 last month, has already triumphed at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, competed in the Nitto ATP Finals, lifted six tour-level trophies and cracked the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Do not tell him about his accomplishments, though. According to Sinner, this is just the beginning, which is a scary thought for his colleagues on the ATP Tour.

“I know already what I have in my game, so I try to stay confident with that, but also humble because at the end of the day I didn’t win basically nothing or for sure no important matches,” Sinner told ATPTour.com. “It’s all part of the process. I don’t want to rush myself, but I think I can be proud of what I am doing, so hopefully I keep this up.”

For Sinner, this is not about rushing to lift a particular trophy or defeating a particular opponent. From a young age, he has had lofty ambitions. On Wednesday, he will play Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open quarter-finals. But just three years ago, he was a qualifier who spoke to the media in a small cubicle inside the media centre at Flushing Meadows.

“I want to be the best player not only in Italy,” Sinner said that day. “But maybe once I can say that I’m the best player in the world.”

^{Sinner competing in US Open qualifying in 2019 aged 18.}
That is not something Sinner has ever expected to happen overnight. In fact, he constantly speaks about the “long road” of his career and how there is always something to improve on. The San Candido-native often heads to the practice court after matches, even long, gruelling battles, in order to make even the smallest refinement to move closer to his ultimate potential.

That mentality stems from Sinner’s childhood.

“I’ve always had this because my parents, they gave me this kind of mentality, so I have it with me. I’m proud to have this kind of mentality,” Sinner said. “I like the way my mom and my dad are, so I like to be very similar to them. I think also my brother is quite the same. I think I’ve always had it.”

Sinner’s father, Johann, is a chef at the Talschlusshutte restaurant in Sesto-Val-Fiscalina, right near the Austrian border in Italy’s northeast. His mother, Siglinde, was a server in the same restaurant.

“Now because we also have some apartments at home, my mom is helping to clean the apartments and everything because the apartments are in the same house as my grandma and grandpa. They are getting a little bit older, so now she helps them,” Sinner said. “Sometimes I remember that I helped my mom, grandma and grandpa to clean the apartments. Saturday usually was the day where people were going and coming, so I was there to help them a little bit.”

The restaurant was about a 45-minute walk from Sinner’s home. He remembers making that trek to see his parents in action.

“I always liked to pick up my dad at the restaurant where he works,” Sinner said. “Then I can see a little bit how he cooks and how he works. It’s funny.”

Ironically, Sinner has made the analogy comparing his budding career to that of an aspiring chef’s. In 2020, he was outside the kitchen. Last year, he was peeling vegetables. The Italian has seen progress in 222.

“It’s for sure getting a little bit bigger,” Sinner said of the ‘salad’ that is his game. “I know that I can add something more, but if you have more, you also have more options, so it can be good, but sometimes it can also be a little bit tough because sometimes you have to choose from more ingredients.

“Sometimes you can get not distracted, but [you can feel] a little bit of chaos in your mind of what shot to play. That’s sometimes happened to me. But I think the salad is growing and that’s the most important.”

^{Sinner plays in front of his home fans in Turin in 2021.}
Sinner has been unafraid of making whatever change he has deemed necessary to continue adding to that salad. In February, he announced the end of his longterm partnership with Riccardo Piatti, who is widely considered one of the best coaches in the sport. Sinner hired Italian Simone Vignozzi and more recently Darren Cahill, the former coach of Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt.

“When you change everything, it is a little bit different. It’s another method how to work. It was something new. I was still getting used to it a little bit, but now I’m getting used to it,” Sinner said. “I know Darren good, I know Simone good and also Umberto and Jerome. It’s a good feeling because I know their personalities much better and they know me better and how I feel better every day. I think it’s good, but for sure in the beginning it was not easy.”

It took until July for Sinner to advance past the quarter-finals of a tournament. But he did far more in Umag, where he lifted the title with a dominant final two sets against Alcaraz in the championship match.

Sinner is currently 14th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as he tries to compete at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second year in a row, after replacing Matteo Berrettini as an alternate in 2021. A win against Alcaraz will send him soaring into ninth place.

“The year is still young. It’s still long. If I want to get there I have to play good from now on for sure. But I know that. I will try my best to do that,” Sinner said. “This year, it’s not one of the main goals. It’s more about trying to improve everything and then we’ll see how I evolve in the next couple of months.”

It has always been about the “process” for Sinner, and in three years that has taken him from unknown to star. Why stop now?

“I think it’s just [about] working hard and to believe. That’s the only thing I can say. Especially in the tough times… and maybe when you have a tough loss or [something], the day after you are going on court and practising. I think these are the kind of things that make sometimes the difference,” Sinner said. “I go on court because I like to play tennis. It’s not because I have to play. I go because I really love to play tennis.”

Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury overcame fierce resistance from Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski on Tuesday to complete a 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4 quarter-final victory and maintain their push for back-to-back titles at the US Open in New York.

The top-seeded American-British pair let slip four match points at 5-4 in the second set as Nys and Zielinski rallied to clinch the second-set tie-break and force a decider on Louis Armstrong Stadium. Ram and Salisbury, who are chasing their third Grand Slam crown this fortnight at Flushing Meadows, responded by sealing a decisive break in the opening game of the third set, going on to wrap a two-hour, 34-minute triumph.

Ram and Salisbury, who have lifted ATP Masters 1000 trophies in Cincinnati and Monte Carlo this season, will next face 11th seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara or 2019 champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in New York.

unstoppable force meet immovable object pic.twitter.com/ZntPUCN2M6

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2022

Second seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski enjoyed a smoother passage to the semi-finals, easing past Marcelo Demoliner and Joao Sousa 6-3, 6-1 in just 63 minutes.

Koolhof and Skupski, who are currently No. 2 and No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Live Rankings, respectively, converted all four break point opportunities they created in a clinical quarter-final display. Dutchman Koolhof and Briton Skupski will now prepare for their maiden Grand Slam semi-final as a team, where there opponents will be third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer or sixth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.

The growing #NextGenATP rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner arrives in New York on Wednesday, when two of the sport’s biggest young talents meet for a third tour-level meeting of the season in the quarter-finals of the US Open.

The last American in the draw, Frances Tiafoe, will attempt to back up his stunning fourth-round win over Rafael Nadal when he faces Andrey Rublev, as all four quarter-finalists in the bottom half of the draw bid to reach the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time.

ATPTour.com previews the quarter-final action on Day 10 at Flushing Meadows.

View Schedule | View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw

[3] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs. [11] Jannik Sinner (ITA)

In a year full of milestones for Alcaraz, the Spaniard is closing on his two biggest achievements to date: lifting his maiden Grand Slam trophy and becoming the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. To get there, however he must do something he has not managed in two previous attempts in 2022 — defeat Jannik Sinner.

The former Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champions met in an exhilarating fourth-round clash at Wimbledon in July, the Grand Slam curtain-raiser for a rivalry that is set to light up the majors for years to come. It was Sinner who triumphed in four sets on the grass in London and the Italian backed that up with an impressive three-set win on clay in the championship match in Umag in July to lift his sixth tour-level title.

“I played a couple of times against him. He’s a great player, a really, really tough one,” said Alcaraz, who now trails Sinner 1-2 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series. “I lost twice in the past two months, so I will have to be ready for this battle against Jannik.”

Alcaraz held off Marin Cilic in five sets in the fourth round on Monday to match his quarter-final run in New York from a year ago. If he can get past Sinner and then go on to claim his maiden major crown, he is guaranteed to rise to World No. 1 on Monday. Reaching the final might also be enough for the 19-year-old to make history, so long as Casper Ruud does not also reach the championship match. Read More On The Battle For No. 1.

Carlos Alcaraz HOW pic.twitter.com/QU0kk5gACN

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2022

Sinner checked a box of his own with his five-set triumph against Ilya Ivashka on Monday. In advancing to the last eight in New York for the first time, the Italian became the youngest player since Novak Djokovic (20, in 2007-08) to complete a set of quarter-final appearances at all four Grand Slams.

Despite those appearances in the last eight, Sinner is yet to reach a major semi-final. Doing so in New York could be particularly significant for the 21-year-old, who needs a deep run to boost his chances of qualifying for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. Sinner currently lies in 14th place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin but could rise as high as fifth if he can lift the title in New York.

[9] Andrey Rublev vs. [22] Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe’s stunning four-set triumph against Nadal in the fourth round on Monday highlighted the American’s show-stopping abilities on the court. Yet the 22nd seed believes some small off-court adjustments have been crucial to his strong showings this fortnight as he prepares for his maiden US Open quarter-final against Andrey Rublev.

“I’m starting to know how to really come to Slams and be ready,” said Tiafoe, who opened with three straight-sets victories this year in New York. “I think getting to the second week, not losing a set, helps. Things like that. Resting. I haven’t [gone] to dinner out once. Doing Uber Eats and stuff, just chilling.

”Yeah, I’m just kind of approaching this a lot different.”

Tiafoe’s clash with Rublev represents a meeting of two big hitters who are particularly powerful off the forehand wing. As well as similarities in their playing styles, the 24-year-olds also share the spoils in their ATP Head2Head series — Tiafoe edged Rublev in a five-set epic in the third round in New York a year ago, but the World No. 11 avenged that loss with a straight sets victory against the American in Indian Wells in March.

“[He is] a tough player,” said Rublev of Tiafoe, who is the youngest American to reach the last eight in New York since Andy Roddick in 2006. “We played a couple of times. I lost to him last year here at the US Open.

“For sure he will try to use the energy, the crowd, to be more pumped, to play better tennis. I just, with him, I need to wait for my moment and use it.”

It will be a second major quarter-final for Tiafoe, while Rublev is 0-5 at this stage of Grand Slams, with three of those defeats coming in New York. Having already survived five-set battles against Laslo Djere and Denis Shapovalov this fortnight in New York, the 11-time tour-level titlist will hope his time has come to break that duck on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday.

Casper Ruud was bidding to reach his maiden US Open semi-final and fighting to keep his World No. 1 hopes alive on Tuesday in New York. Yet the Norwegian showed no signs of pressure in dismissing 13th seed Matteo Berrettini with a statement 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(4) quarter-final victory at Flushing Meadows.

Ruud was ruthless on return as he made a dream start on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where he surged to a 6-1, 5-1 lead by frequently cutting through Berrettini’s defences with some sublime clean hitting from the baseline. Although the Italian recovered from a wayward start to find his feet and break Ruud’s serve early in the third set, the fifth seed’s heavy forehand and tenacity around the court proved decisive as he rallied to dominate the third-set tie-break and wrap a two-hour, 35-minute win.

“That was a better start than I think I ever had before in a match,” said Ruud, who had not been past the third round in New York prior to this year. “Everything was going my way, I was hitting all the spots I needed to plus Matteo maybe didn’t serve as well as he usually does. I was able to take care of the chances that I got.

“I got a little bit nervous towards the end of the second set, because things were almost going too well. It’s good, but sometimes you can get over-excited and start to think you can walk on water… So I had to calm down a little bit, and luckily was able to serve out the second set, and the third set was very tough.”

Ruud will take on Nick Kyrgios or Karen Khachanov in the semi-finals in New York. Should he lift his maiden Grand Slam trophy in New York, the Norwegian will rise to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday, while he can also take top spot if reaches the championship match and Carlos Alcaraz does not.

Prior to the match, Ruud had spoken about the importance of countering Berrettini’s serve, and the 23-year-old made the perfect start by breaking twice immediately en route to an early 5-0 lead. The Norwegian stayed rock solid while Berrettini struggled, with the Italian making 13 unforced errors to just two from Ruud as the Norwegian cruised to the opening set.

The confidence was flowing through the fifth seed, who pulled off a stunning defensive tweener lob to stay in the point at 15/0 on the Berrettini serve in the third game of the second set, going on to win it after the Italian netted a forehand. Ruud followed that with a ripped forehand pass on the run to set up a break for 2-1, a lead which soon became 5-1 as Berrettini was unable to keep up with his inspired opponent.

The Italian belatedly started to show some of the form that powered him to the semi-finals in New York in 2019, reeling off three games in a row as the momentum began to shift. It proved too late to rescue the second set as Ruud held on behind his serve to take it 6-4, but the Italian’s forehand began to find the corners and he charged to a 4-1 lead in the third set as the crowd sensed the beginnings of a revival.

Ruud, who finished the match having converted five from 14 break point opportunities, shut Berrettini’s hopes down in clinical style to seal the win. He stayed aggressive behind his forehand to reclaim the break before opening up an unassailable 6/2 lead in the tie-break to improve his ATP Head2Head series lead against Berrettini to 4-2.