Casper Ruud moved past Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 at the US Open on Friday to reach his second Grand Slam final, further boosting his chances of rising to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
The Norwegian soaked up the 27th seed’s powerful hitting, while he won an epic 55-shot rally to win the first set. The fifth seed played with great intensity throughout the three-hour clash as he forced the 26-year-old into errors to move to within one win of capturing his maiden major title.
Ruud, who lost to Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros final in June, will face #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz or American Frances Tiafoe in the championship match. Should the fifth seed triumph in New York, he will become the first Norwegian to rise to World No. 1 on Monday. He will also climb to top spot if Tiafoe eliminates two-time ATP Masters 1000 champion Alcaraz in the second semi-final. By reaching the final, Ruud ended Rafael Nadal‘s hopes of returning to World No. 1 Monday.
More to follow…
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