Casper Ruud is into the finals of US Open 2022, after beating Karen Khachanov in semifinals, he is the first player to book spot in final.
Casper Ruud : US Open final | Flashscore | Live score
By reaching the final Ruud, the fifth seed, has put himself on the verge of achieving the two ultimate achievements in the sport at once.
Three months after being flattened by the unstoppable force of Rafael Nadal in the French Open final, he will once again play for his first grand slam title.
Ruud will also become the new world No 1 next week unless Carlos Alcaraz, who faced Frances Tiafoe overnight in the second semi-final, wins the US Open.
So much of the recent history of men’s tennis has been written by three men, players who hoarded most of the grand slam titles, packed out the final rounds of events and, even when they did not win, absorbed so much of the attention.
For the first time since the inaugural US Open in 1881 four male players had reached their first US Open semi-final at once.
Three of those four had never before reached any grand slam semi-final. There was no hiding from the full force of grand slam pressurebut the rewards were great for whoever was bold enough.
Us open final
It was a four-set match that came down to a single rally. Granted, the rally in question came on set point for Casper Ruud in the first-set tiebreaker, and it was one Karen Khachanov managed to keep going for an absurd 55 shots.
Having missed out two set points seconds earlier, Ruud drew from some combination of his experience, high-margin game, and unassailable work ethic to force the error from Khachanov and (eventually) edge into his second Grand Slam final, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in just under three hours.
“After Roland Garros, I was extremely happy,” he said on-court to James Blake, “but also humble enough to think that that could be my only Grand Slam final of my career.
They don’t come easy, but here I am again, a couple months later. It feels beyond words to describe.”
Ruud’s longtime love affair with clay culminated with a runner-up finish at Roland Garros, and the No. 5 seed will aim to go one better in Flushing Meadows—not only to capture a maiden major victory but also to assure himself the No. 1 ranking, which hangs in the balance until the second semifinal between Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe is decided.
If Alcaraz ends Tiafoe’s fairytale in New York, he and Ruud will face off for the top spot on the ATP rankings on Sunday; if Tiafoe wins, Ruud is assured of his accession.
Casper Ruud Flashscore
Casper Ruud has reached his second Grand Slam final of the year by claiming a 55-shot point to end the first set of his U.S. Open semifinal.
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.
“After Roland Garros, I was, of course, extremely happy,” Ruud said, “but also humble enough to think that could be my only final of my career.”
Well, here he is, back at that stage just a few months later. 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.
Live score
Casper Ruud defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
The Norwegian tennis star won the first set 7-5 (7/5) against Karen Khachanov after the contest entered a tiebreaker.
Casper Ruud then registered a 6-2 win in the second set before Karen Khachanov could bounce back with a 7-5 win in the following set.
The Russian failed to give a good fight to Ruud, who comfortably broke his serve twice and won the fourth set 6-2.
In the second semi-final, American Frances Tiafoe will take on third seed Carlos Alcaraz Garcia.