Ruud beats Khachanov to reach U.S. Open final
Casper Ruud claimed a 55-shot point to end the first set of his U.S. Open semifinal while building a big lead against Karen Khachanov and held on for a 7-6 (5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory Friday that put him in his second Grand Slam title match of the year.
When it ended, spectators in Arthur Ashe Stadium called out his name, "Ruuuuud!" — and it sounded sort of as if they were booing, rather than saluting.
Ruud, the runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the French Open in June, is a 23-year-old from Norway who can move from No. 7 to No. 1 in the rankings by winning the championship at Flushing Meadows on Sunday.
Casper Ruud completes the road to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USOpen</a> final.<br><br>See you Sunday, <a href="https://twitter.com/CasperRuud98?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CasperRuud98</a>. <a href="https://t.co/GWd8LbHMuk">pic.twitter.com/GWd8LbHMuk</a>
His opponent in this final on Sunday will be No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain or No. 26 Frances Tiafoe of the United States. Like Ruud, Alcaraz went into Friday with a chance to rise to replace 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev atop the rankings after the tournament.
All four men's semifinalists were making their debuts in that round in New York. That had not happened at the event since 1881, when it absolutely had to: That was the inaugural edition of what was then known as the U.S. Championships.
To mitigate the effect of Khachanov's serves, Ruud would stand way behind the baseline to return, then look to dominate exchanges from the baseline. Ruud used flawless footwork for side-to-side defense and found openings to deliver deep groundstrokes that could finish off points.
He came up with occasional brilliance, such as the
