By Tony Fairbairn
- Casper Ruud [5] v Karen Khachanov [27]
- Carlos Alcaraz [3] v Frances Tiafoe [22]
NEW YORK, USA – Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz continue their battle for the world number one spot and the US Open title on men’s semi-finals day.
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Casper Ruud [5] v Karen Khachanov [27] | H2H: Ruud leads 1-0
Casper Ruud has quietly gone about his business with a five set win over Tommy Paul providing the foundations for a successful US Open. Now the Norwegian is two wins away from his first Grand Slam title as well as becoming the new world number one. Standing in Ruud’s way is Karen Khachanov who has made his Grand Slam breakthrough and sealed his spot in the last four by defeating Nick Kyrgios in a five set thriller.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Casper Ruud [5] v Karen Khachanov [27] | H2H: Ruud leads 1-0 |
| US Open 2022 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $705,000 |
| Second on Arthur Ashe Stadium (Not before 20:00 BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Ruud has had another consistent season having reached his first Masters 1000 on hard courts in Miami and his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros. The fifth seed has now continued that form into the final Grand Slam of the year where he is looking to become the new world number one.
Standing in Ruud’s way is Khachanov who has made his Grand Slam breakthrough out of nowhere as his five set win displayed mental and tactical resolve of the highest quality.Now the Russian looks to reach his first Grand Slam final and continue to his confident form in New York.
After his win over Matteo Berrettini, Ruud admitted he’s not thinking about becoming world number one and is trying to focus on the job at hand.
“I don’t want to think too much about it, honestly,” Ruud told the ATP website.
“It’s something that of course all young players dream about, so if I’m in a position to do it, let’s see if I can accomplish it… Of course, it’s a little bit of extra motivation to dig in, and even if you’re down on the score, to keep fighting. You never know what’s going to happen and if I’m very, very lucky I can leave New York as World No.1. So I’m trying to go for it of course.”
As for Khachanov, he was very happy with his performance against Kyrgios as he looks forward to a maiden Grand Slam semi-final.
“From the beginning until the end, great performance – at least I will talk about myself, from my side,” Khachanov told the ATP website.
“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.”
Ruud will look to use his consistency and deep returning to dictate the tempo of the match as well as forcing Khachanov into unnecessary errors. While Khachanov will look to use his power and different angles, to cause problems for Ruud’s defensive baseline game. This will be a good match which sees court awareness take on power however Ruud’s efficiency and consistency could be too much for a fatigued Khachanov here.
Prediction: Ruud in four sets.
Carlos Alcaraz [3] v Frances Tiafoe [22] | H2H: Tiafoe leads 1-0
Carlos Alcaraz continues to amaze under the New York lights and his five set win over Jannik Sinner was no exception as he won an epic encounter to reach his maiden Grand Slam semi-final. Now Alcaraz is two wins away from becoming world number one and becoming a Grand Slam champion at 19 years old. Next for Alcaraz is Frances Tiafoe who is the youngest American since Andy Roddick in 2006 to become a US Open semi-finalist. The American backed up his win over Rafael Nadal with a straight sets win over Andrey Rublev and now has his eyes set on history.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Carlos Alcaraz [3] v Frances Tiafoe [22] | H2H: Tiafoe leads 1-0 |
| US Open 2022 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $705,000 |
| Third on Arthur Ashe Stadium (00:00 BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Alcaraz’s back-to-back five set wins to get to the last four have demonstrated his physical and mental resilience as he continues another unbelievable season on the ATP tour. Having qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, Alcaraz now has his sights set on the world number one spot and a Grand Slam title.
Standing in Alcaraz’s way is Tiafoe who has impressed with his powerful consistency and his ability to turn up on the big occasions. Now the American looks to use his confidence and fearlessness to go all the way in front of his home crowd. After his quarter-final victory, Alcaraz described the US Open as the best tournament in the world as he looks ahead to his first Grand Slam semi-final.
“I feel great to be in my first semi-final in a Grand Slam,” Alcaraz told the ATP website.
“I feel better reaching a semi-final here [at the] US Open. his tournament is amazing. The crowd is amazing, I would say the best in the world. The energy I received in this court at 3 a.m., it was unbelievable.
“I mean, probably in other tournaments, everybody [would go] to their house to rest. But they [stayed] in the court, supporting me. It was unbelievable.”
As for Tiafoe, he described his win as ‘wild’ and now looks to reach his maiden Grand Slam final.
“This is wild. This is crazy,” Tiafoe told the ATP website.
“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.”
Alcaraz will look to use his physical and mental stamina to his advantage as he looks to make Tiafoe run and be proactive. While Tiafoe will need to serve well to counter-attack Alcaraz’s elite return game and create short rallies to dominate the match. This is a match could go all the way as both players have the tactical ability and confidence to win this match.
In the end Alcaraz’s self-belief could see him edge this one in another five set thriller but it will go down to the wire with a place in the final at stake.
Prediction: Alcaraz in five sets.
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