For some time, there was competition between Casper Ruud and his father, Christian Ruud. Casper had plenty of marks to surpass as a professional tennis player in order to ‘beat’ his father. It was competition in good fun, but competition nonetheless.

Christian won 115 tour-level matches and climbed as high as No. 39 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, both of which are impressive achievements. Their ‘rivalry’ did not last long, though.

Over the past few years, Casper has stormed past those benchmarks. Now into the semi-finals of the US Open, a maiden major trophy and World No. 1 are both within his grasp.

“We are just trying to take one match at a time. It’s still far away, I think,” Christian said. “But of course it’s nice that it’s possible, and Casper has a little bit of motivation with that in mind, because even when he was small, his ultimate goal was to be No. 1 in the world.”

Christian has been there to help guide Casper every step of the way. With the exception of two-and-a-half years as a teen — during which Pedro Rico led the way — Christian has coached Casper, and still does today.

“I think it is just natural for us. I think we are also more like friends. We have the same hobbies. We play golf together. We watch movies together. We like sometimes have the same hobbies, in a way,” Christian said. “I think when he was 16 I kind of stepped aside a little bit. He had a coach from Spain for two-and-a-half years. I think that was the age where it’s a good frame not to have the father two steps behind.”

When Rico coached Casper, it was not like Christian was out of the picture. He just took a step back from the day-to-day work on court.

“He was still sort of the head of the team, in a way,” Casper recalled. “He was still doing all the planning for us, and he was still in contact with my other coach almost every day during practice weeks and he would come to some tournaments.”

When Rico and Ruud stopped working together, Christian began to explore other potential coaches for his son. That is not what Casper wanted, though.

“We looked at some options, but I said that, ‘I’m more comfortable with you being around’ and having him around,” Casper said. “I know that a coach will do so much for you and help you be very helpful, but when it’s the father as well, you feel like you are taken extra care of, because a father will care maybe those extra percentages because he’s your family.”

It also helps that Christian has been in Casper’s shoes. While he did not enjoy quite as much success, he played in 24 Grand Slam main draws and faced Top 10 opponents 22 times, winning four of those matches. That is why if his son loses a match, he never gets upset.

“I know the feeling. Just from day one I just try to say to him, ‘As long as you try your best in every match, I will never be disappointed,’” Christian said. “So I think he has that calmness that he knows I understand the game and that I have been there, and that we are kind of in this together in a way.”

As a coach, Christian also knows what training techniques translate to matches and which waste time.

“I think maybe I’m a little bit better than many other parents that don’t know tennis to have that quality during the trainings and [to] do the right things,” Christian said. “All those other things that I learned when I was playing myself, I did many mistakes and I did some things right, and I just tried to pass that on to Casper to the good experiences and the good things that I remember. I tried to give that on to him and tried to avoid the bad things or the stupid mistakes I did on my path.”

Christian still remembers when pre-teen Casper told him he wanted to focus on tennis. After he played well as a 13-year-old in the Under-14 European Championships, Christian saw he had “something special”. Yet nowhere along the journey has Christian forced his son to pursue tennis.

Now, Casper is among the very best players in the world. With two more wins, he will leave New York as a Grand Slam champion and World No. 1. 

“I think he really wanted to see how far he can reach. He was already starting to look at Rafa and that was his idol, so he really was into the tennis world and he wanted to be on that center court one day,” Christian said. “I cannot say that I remember too many times where I felt we pushed him too hard at all. I think it was almost, or it was always his will to do it in a way. I think I have been quite a calm parent, and also my wife.”

Frances Tiafoe delivered a stunning all-around display to take down ninth seed Andrey Rublev on Wednesday at the US Open, where a combination of brutal groundstrokes, impeccable serving and delicate net play earned the American a 7-6(3), 7-6(0), 6-4 quarter-final victory.

Seeking to back up his thrilling four-set win against Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, Tiafoe expertly channelled the support of an ecstatic home crowd under a closed Arthur Ashe Stadium roof in New York. The American’s confidence was most evident when he reeled off seven unanswered points in a flawless second-set tie-break, but Tiafoe’s level rarely dropped as he closed out a two-hour, 35-minute triumph to charge to his maiden Grand Slam semi-final in style in New York.

“This is wild. This is crazy,” said Tiafoe in his on-court interview. “I had the biggest win of my life 24 hours ago and coming out and getting another big win… Andrey’s a hell of a player, and to back it up, that’s huge. It’s tough to turn the page, but I did and now I’m in the semis.

“I feel so at home on courts like this. This court is unbelievable. [The crowd] gets so far behind me, I want to play, I want to give my best. I always find a way somehow on this court, I always play some great tennis and I have been. Let’s enjoy this, we’ve got two more.”

Tiafoe took control of his third tour-level meeting with Rublev by raising his game in a pair of tie-breaks to claim an opening two sets in which he did not carve out a break point opportunity. The American’s strategy of moving forward to pressure the ninth seed on the baseline was particularly effective, and he ended the match having won 76 per cent (31/41) of points at the net.

Tiafoe is the first American man to reach the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows since 2006, when Andy Roddick advanced to the championship match. A former World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Roddick was in the stands cheering on his countryman as Tiafoe advanced to play the winner of Wednesday night’s heavyweight #NextGenATP battle between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

“I’ll sit back and watch them battle and I’m keeping my feet up, so let them battle all night hopefully,” joked Tiafoe when asked if he would watch Alcaraz and Sinner’s quarter-final clash. “But [they are] two great players, and it’s going to be tough come Friday, but I’m here for all they’ve got.”

Rublev’s defeat marks another quarter-final disappointment for the 24-year-old, who is now 0-6 in last-eight matches at Grand Slams. His latest run in New York nonetheless lifts him back into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, with Rublev currently rising two spots to No. 9 as a result of his exploits this fortnight.

Although Tiafoe was visibly keen to stay on the front foot during rallies, it was Rublev who had all three of the break point chances in the first set. The American stayed aggressive behind his forehand to save break point at 5-6, 30/40, however, and he cruised to the first set-tie break despite letting slip his first set point at 6/2 by leaving a Rublev lob he mistakenly thought was heading out.

Four holds of serve to love in the first five games set the tone for a second set which featured no break points as both players were incisive with their serving. It set the scene for Tiafoe’s outstanding seven-point blitz. The 22nd seed was imperious to move into a two-sets-to-one lead, with highlights including a delicate drop volley for 6/0 and a rasping backhand return winner to convert set point.

Despite some nerves beginning to show after he moved within two games of victory in the third set, Tiafoe rallied from 30/40 to hold for 5-3 and held convincingly to love in his next service game to complete the win. The result moves Tiafoe into a 2-1 lead in his ATP Head2Head series with Rublev.

The disappointment of US Open defeat to Karen Khachanov shone through for Nick Kyrgios in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Despite adding a maiden quarter-final appearance in New York to his impressive list of achievements in recent months, the Australian’s desire to go deeper in the draw made it hard for him to take positives from his five-set loss.

“I feel like I’ve let so many people down,” said Kyrgios, who was seeking to back up his run to his maiden major final at Wimbledon in July. “It’s just devastating. Like, it’s heartbreaking. Not just for me, but for everyone that I know that wants me to win.”

Kyrgios fired 31 aces and battled for three hours, 39 minutes against Khachanov inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, but he felt a slow start had cost him dear as the 27th seed outlasted the Australian to reach his maiden Grand Slam semi-final.

“[I] just came out flat,” said Kyrgios. “Physically didn’t feel great. Then I ended up feeling great towards the end of the match.

“I’m obviously devastated. But all credit to Karen. He’s a fighter. He’s a warrior. I thought he served really good today. Honestly probably the best server I played this tournament, to be honest, the way he was hitting his spots under pressure.”

Kyrgios impressed in the opening week in New York, moving past close friend Thanasi Kokkinakis, Benjamin Bonzi and J.J. Wolf before delivering a stunning fourth-round performance to end Daniil Medvedev’s title defence. The 23rd seed came within a set of reaching his maiden semi-final at Flushing Meadows but admitted Khachanov was too good in the key moments.

“He just played the big points well,” said Kyrgios. “[There] really wasn’t anything in it. I’m just devastated obviously. Just feel like it was either winning it all or nothing at all, to be honest. I feel like I’ve just failed at this event right now. That’s what it feels like.”

Having been outside the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as recently as March, Kyrgios’ run this fortnight has lifted him to No. 19 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, making him the No. 1 Australian. The physical commitment shown by the 27-year-old as he has racked up 26 wins since the start of the grass season in June has been high and he played down fears surrounding his knee after aggravating it during Tuesday night’s match.

“Just [my] knee [is] sore,” said Kyrgios. “Obviously I’ve been playing a lot of tennis the last couple months. Just came out… I just split-stepped and just tweaked it a little bit. Ended up feeling fine. I got some Deep Heat on it. Everyone is carrying a bit of a niggle right now. Nothing major.”

With plans to now return home to Australia for a break from tournament play, Kyrgios can reflect on a highly successful few months on Tour during which he lifted his seventh tour-level singles trophy at the Citi Open ATP 500 event in Washington. He also lifted the doubles title in the U.S. capital alongside Kokkinakis, and the Australian Open-winning pair is still in with a strong chance of qualifying for November’s Nitto ATP Finals. Kokkinakis and Kyrgios currently sit sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

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.”