Ruud advances to the US Open final with a commanding victory over Khachanov
Casper Ruud of Norway used his powerful forehand to defeat Karen Khachanov of Russia in four sets at the US Open. With this victory, Ruud advanced to his second Grand Slam final of the year and kept his ambitions of climbing to the top of the global rankings alive.
On his journey to victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the first Norwegian man to reach the final at Flushing Meadows won an amazing 55-shot rally to close out the first-set tie break. This victory set him on the path to success at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The fifth seed will play either home favorite Frances Tiafoe or Spain’s third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Frances Tiafoe is the third seed.
“This match is perhaps the biggest match for both of our lives,” said Ruud, who was left feeling humiliated after losing to Rafa Nadal in the final of Roland Garros in June. Ruud was defeated by Nadal in straight sets.
It is important to make the most of the possibilities that present themselves, and I was able to do so today.
The 23-year-old Ruud is known for his composure on clay, but he was just as efficient on the hard courts of New York. He won 14 straight points to create a 5-1 lead in a nearly faultless second set.
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His play deteriorated in the third set, during which he committed 11 unforced errors and gave Khachanov the opportunity to break serve and win the set.
However, Ruud was able to recover and capitalize on break opportunities in the third and fifth games of the fourth set. He then won the match with a forehand winner, which was one of 20 he had throughout the competition.
As Ruud explained to the reporters after the match that his legs were shaking from the marathon first-set point, it took every ounce of his endurance – and a brave face – for him to survive the encounter.
“I tried not to show Karen that I’m exhausted because I don’t want him to think that, ‘This is tiring for Casper,'” he remarked to her. “I don’t want him to think that this is exhausting for Casper.”
“Even in athletics, there can be acting. Particularly the game of tennis. Because it is mostly a cerebral and psychological competition, even the smallest of advantages can be crucial to a player’s success.
According to the ATP, Ruud would advance from world No. 7 to world No. 1 if he won the tournament on Sunday, September 11 (Monday, September 12, Manila time) or if Tiafoe prevailed over Alcaraz in their semi-final match later on Friday, September 9 (Saturday, September 10, Manila time).
Khachanov, who overcame Nick Kyrgios of Australia in a five-set quarterfinal thriller, stated that he was pleased to notch a few great wins in New York but was completely exhausted from the grueling slate of competitors. Khachanov said that he was pleased to notch a few great wins in New York but that he was exhausted from the grueling slate of competitors.
“As the tournament (comes to an end), I feel really, really, really exhausted. In a way, I feel like I’ve been completely decimated. The level of energy dropped dramatically. We’ve been here for over three weeks now, and we started preparations a week ago,” he informed the press.
“Obviously, I was thinking about and dreaming about being the one to hoist the trophy.”
