NEW YORK –
Karen Khachanov stood on the pitch with her arms raised and basked in the cheers of a raucous crowd after reaching his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open. Not far away, Nick Kyrgios vented some of his frustration at the result so close yet so distant on a pair of racquets.
First, shortly after the last point of his 7: 5, 4: 6, 7: 5, 6: 7 (3), 6: 4 defeat by Khachanov, Kyrgios slammed his device against the ground – once, twice, three times, four times . Then Kyrgios took another racket out of his pocket to be on the safe side, reared up and hit it on the sidelines as well.
Kyrgios couldn’t quite continue his win over defending champion Daniil Medvedev at Flushing Meadows, and was eliminated in a high-profile, upside-down quarter-final that started Tuesday night and ended more than 3 1/2 hours later at around 1am Wednesday in Arthur Ashe -Stadion.
“It’s just devastating. It’s heartbreaking,” said Kyrgios, a 27-year-old Australian who finished runner-up at Wimbledon in July. “Pretty much every other tournament during the year is really a waste of time. You should just run to a Grand Slam and show up. That’s what you remember.”
When asked about Kyrgios’ expression of disappointment, Khachanov said he saw “thugs fly,” adding, “I feel the pain for him.”
At the start of the game, two spectators were kicked out after one cut the other’s hair in the stands. In the end, the late viewers drew loudly for Kyrgios. At one point in the fourth set, chair umpire James Keothavong pleaded, “Again, ladies and gentlemen: respect both players.”
“I was prepared. I expected that the audience would be more for him, that he is the favorite in their eyes,” said Khachanov, number 27, in the big quarterfinals ahead of this against Kyrgios with number 23 0-2.
Khachanov meets No. 5 Casper Ruud for a spot in the league game on Friday.
“I’m really proud of myself,” said Khachanov. “I was very focused from start to finish.”
Both he and Kyrgios are armed with booming serves and they combined for 61 aces (31 from Kyrgios). Together they made 138 overall winners (75 from Kyrgios).
Two stats that really made the difference: Kyrgios made 58 unforced errors, Khachanov 31. And Khachanov saved 7 out of 9 break points he faced.
Breakthrough at Wimbledon and two recent victories over No. 1 Medvedev – including in the fourth round that ended his title defense – made Kyrgios a popular choice to clinch his first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows.
Khachanov was banned from playing at Wimbledon this year after the All England Club banned all players from his country, Russia and Belarus over the invasion of Ukraine.
Against Kyrgios, he grabbed crucial breaks of serve in the final game of the first and third sets. After the start, Kyrgios complained of a sore knee and received a visit from a coach.
He appeared to show no ill effects when play resumed and broke early in the second.
Kyrgios had a chance to break again at 4-all in the third game but failed to convert, hitting a forehand and then spiked his racquet. Two games later, he netted a backhand to drop that set, then sat in his substitution chair, discarded his racquet and threw a drink, after which Keothavong was cautioned for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Khachanov came within two points of victory and led 6-5 when Kyrgios served in the fourth set. Kyrgios held there and dominated the ensuing tie-break to force a fifth.
Then Khachanov started the break to start the final set, soon leading 3-1 and making his way.
“The deeper you go, the greater the expectations,” he said. “I took a step forward.”
In Wednesday’s quarterfinals, it will be No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz against No. 11 Jannik Sinner and No. 9 Andrey Rublev against No. 22 Frances Tiafoe.
None of the last eight men in the bracket have won a major title.
Ruud started the 2022 season with just one Grand Slam appearance, lasting somewhere up to the fourth round, and was determined to improve on his record in the four major events in tennis.
Then, a day before the start of the Australian Open in January, he twisted his ankle in training and was forced to withdraw. Hardly optimal. Watch him now: Ruud is through to the semifinals at the US Open and has a chance to climb up to No. 1 in the ATP rankings after a run into the final at the French Open.
The 23-year-old Norwegian, who is coached by his father, former professional player Christian, made what he called “a better start than ever in a game” to a 6-1, 6-4, 7- . 6 (4) win over 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini on Monday.
“Something clicked during Paris and I feel like this year I’ve kind of found a better way of how to play five sets and know it’s very different than playing best-of-three sets. … Sometimes realizing or knowing that every now and then you can let go of a set to save some energy for the rest of the sets,” said Ruud, 12-2 in the Grand Slam game in 2022. “So I think I have matured.”