By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, September 9, 2022
Seventh-ranked Casper Ruud repelled Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, making history as the first Norwegian man to reach the US Open final
Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty
NEW YORK—Meeting milestone moments can require pure perseverance.
Casper Ruud showed major staying power advancing to his first US Open final—and rising one win closer to the world No. 1 ranking.
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A resilient Ruud rode his crackling serve and twisting topspin forehand conquering Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to make history as the first Norwegian man to reach the Flushing Meadows final.
It's the second Grand Slam final of the season for Ruud, who contested the Roland Garros final in June falling to sometime practice partner Rafael Nadal.
"This match today was another great match from my side," Ruud told ESPN's James Blake afterward. "I think we were both a bit nervous in the beginning. You have to take into account it's probably the biggest match of both of our careers. "I was fortunate to win the first set and cait lmed my nerves a bit for the second.
"I'm just so happy. After Roland Garros I was extremely happy, but humble enough to think that could be my only final in a Grand Slam. But now I'm back and it's beyond what words can describe."
The fifth-seeded Ruud will play either third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz or 22nd-seeded American Frances Tiafoe in Sunday's final with another shot at history in his grasp.
The seventh-ranked Ruud is now one win away from pulling off a landmark double achievement. If Alcaraz loses to Tiafoe in today's second semifinal, then Ruud will make the biggest leap in history to rise to world No. 1. If Alcaraz and Ruud face off in the final they will play for both the US Open titel and the world No. 1 ranking.
Twenty-two time Grand Slam champion Nadal was toppled by American Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round, Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, who is unvaccinated, was denied entry into the United States under COVID-19 protocol and world No. 1 Medvedev lost to Nick Kyrgios in a fourth-round blockbuster.
Stepping into the void, Ruud, who lost to Alcaraz in the Miami Open final in April, has emerged as a champion for all surfaces. Ruud set the tone today with his first serve and forehand combination. Ruud dropped just eight points on his first serve and dotted every corner of the box to set up his first-strike forehand.
"I think overall game [is Ruud's strength]," Khachanov said. "If you see from that perspective, he's not that tall, but he has big serve, precise. The same time his main weapon is his forehand, going around, accelerating the ball, having one of the heaviest topspins on tour.
"He improve his backhand as well. He's not missing that many balls. He's changing down the line. Like I said, he's overall consistent baseliner, let's call him like that."
Winning a dazzling 55-shot rally—the longest exchange of the entire tournament—that spanned all areas of the court clinched the opening set for Ruud and spiked a major roar from fans. Ruud rode that wave of support to a two-set lead withstood a third-set uprising from Khachanov then charged through five consecutive games to take the fourth set and seal his spot in the final.
Afterward, Ruud said prevailing in that heart-racing rally was a pivotal point in the match.
"That's fun with tennis because some of the best rallies of all time, longer rallies of all times, often come in important points because we both realize how important it is," Ruud said. "You don't want to do a mistake. Towards the end the pulse was getting very high and the legs were almost shaking at a point. I was able to at one point there where I just ripped the backhand down the line and went for it sort of. Could stretch my arms in the air and win the first set.
"Like I said, I think it was a key factor to win the second set, and that gave of course motivation and energy to play good and keep going in the second."
The day began with four first-time men's semifinalists for the first time since the inaugural U.S. Championships in 1881. It took Ruud just seven minutes to make his mark as he stepped into the court and cracked an inside-in forehand winner to break for 2-0. Khachanov came back with a love break.
The 27th-seeded Russian was up a break at 4-3 when he botched a routine volley into net and Ruud broke back to level after eight games.
Superior front court skills helped Ruud pull out the tiebreaker as he carved out a forehand volley then hit a leaping high backhand volley winner reminiscent of the young Patrick Rafter to earn set points at 6-3.
The lanky Khachanov saved two set points on serve. Then the pair locked down behind the baseline and launched that electric 55-shot rally. Khachanov had the edge a few times in the marathon exchange, but Ruud made a dazzling forehand dig to extend the point then stepped up and boldly banged a backhand down the line to end an epic point and the set.
Ruud raised his arms in exhilaration after taking the set and was energized by that struggle and Khachanov looked depleted.
"I think I've never had a rally 55 shots. I think it's a record obviously from my side," Khachanov said afterward. "I don't know about him. That was a crazy rally on the set point.
"My thoughts were actually that I'm in the game. I felt pumped in a way that we had this long rally, we were moving both. I felt like, Okay, it's a painful one to lose a set with this point. On the other side I felt like, Okay, now we're moving a lot, let's keep on going."
When Khachanov put a forehand into net, Ruud broke for a 2-1 second set lead. That sparked a streak that saw Ruud rampage through 20 of 21 points stretching his lead to 5-1.
Driving diagonal forehands that danced near the sideline, Ruud sometimes froze Khachanov hammering his inside-in forehand down the line. Ruud was so dominant in that shot-making spree he tore through five of the last seven games of the second set at lead.
Credit Khachanov for refusing to capitulate down two sets. The 6'6" Russian hung tough, held serve and pressured Ruud in the 12th game. The Norwegian's real lone mis-step came when he played a horrid game double-faulting off the tape and sending a forehand wide to face double break point.
Ruud netted another forehand in the middle of the net as Khachanov took the third set.
Resetting, Ruud ravaged the Russian's forehand in the fourth set.
By the early stages of the fourth set, Khachanov was struggling to control his forehand and Ruud was landing his targets. A cluster of forehand errors put the Russian in a double break point bind. Khachanov saved both but tripped another forehand off the tape to face a third break point. Ruud rifled a drive down the line then smacked a bounce smash winner from the baseline to break for 4-1.
The shot left Khachanov lunging at air and Arthur Ashe Stadium fans chanting "Ruud! Ruud!"
On match point, Ruud cornered Khachanov with a flurry of inside-out forehands then pulled the string on a forehand drop shot to seal a three-hour triumph.