Casper Ruud maintained his fantastic year by defeating Karen Khachanov in straight sets at the US Open to go to his second Grand Slam final of the year.
From the opening set tie-break on, the fifth seed went on an incredible run of form, and Khachanov, who was becoming increasingly frustrated, was frequently left shaking his head in disbelief as his opponent easily advanced to the semifinals 7-6(5) 6-2 5-7 6-2.
In what has been a remarkable season, the 23-year-old from Oslo, who also advanced to the championship round at the French Open where he was defeated by Rafael Nadal, will have another chance to win his first major championship.
Ruud couldn’t have gotten off to a better start as he broke serve right away to take a two-game lead, but Khachanov didn’t take long to recover and get back on even terms.
Shortly after, Khachanov forced another break as Ruud faltered on service once more, but the Norwegian eventually found a way to force a tie-break, changing the course of the opening set once more.
Although both players played some very sloppy tennis in the second set, the intensity increased in the tiebreaker and was rounded off by an incredible 55-shot rally as Ruud won it in style.
Ruud surged ahead in the second set thanks to an exceptionally reliable serve and nearly error-free groundstrokes from the back of the court, with Khachanov only managing two points.
The 27th seed did manage to extend the match by winning the third set 7-5, but Khachanov soon started to lose steam.
The Norwegian never appeared to be in danger of losing the match, and he took control of the fourth set quite fast. In reality, he wound up romping away with it to finish the match in style in a little under three hours, dropping just two games in the last set.
With the Grand Slam title on the line on Sunday, Ruud will next face another rising talent Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated the local favourite Frances Tiafoe in a gruelling five-set marathon 6-7(6) 6-3 6-1 6-7(5) 6-3.
In his first four appearances at Flushing Meadows, Ruud only managed to win three times. Now, at his fifth attempt, he has advanced to the final and made history by becoming the first Norwegian to do so.
The world No. 1 ranking will be determined by the outcome of Sunday’s match, making it even more important than the fact that a Grand Slam championship is on the line. Both players are vying for the coveted position.
