NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 09: Casper Ruud of Norway celebrates winning the first set by tiebreak against Karen Khachanov during their Men’s Singles Semifinal match on Day Twelve of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 09, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
Casper Ruud is one match away from winning the 2022 U.S. Open and becoming the new world No. 1.
On Friday night, Norway’s Ruud defeated Russia’s Karen Khachanov 7-6, 6-2, 6-7, 6-2 to book the first spot into the U.S. Open final.
Ruud, who is currently ranked No. 7 in the world, will be the top-ranked player when the new rankings come out if he wins the title or if No. 4-ranked Carlos Alcaraz loses in his semifinal match Friday night. If Ruud and Alcaraz face off in the final, the winner will take the top ranking.
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"I'm just so happy, Ruud said. "After Roland Garros, I was extremely happy but at the same time, I'm humble enough to think that could be my only final in the Grand Slam in my career. It doesn't come easy."
A neck-and-neck first set between Ruud and Khachanov set the tone for a glorious men’s semifinal day with the pair exchanging a few breaks. Ruud ultimately grabbed the opening set, winning a 55-shot rally at 6-5 in the tiebreaker to capture the set 7-6 and receive a standing ovation from the New York crowd.
In the second set, a confident Ruud took over play to win a straightforward set, 6-2. The Norwegian made it very difficult for Khachanov to win any points, staying consistently aggressive and making only two errors.
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In the third set, Khachanov got out to a strong 4-3 lead in hopes of prolonging the match. He was able to break Ruud at 6-5, thanks to a few unforced errors from the 23-year-old, to close out the set 7-5.
In the fourth set, Ruud pulled off an early break to grab a 2-1 from a winded Khachanov and continued to steamroll, grabbing the set 6-2 and match.
Ruud finished the match with an impressive 83% winning percentage on his first serve and 59% on his second, getting broken three times total. He broke serve six times and went 20/23 at the net.
Earlier this year, Ruud lost in the final of the French Open, which was his first Grand Slam championship match, to Rafael Nadal. He will now be playing in his second Grand Slam final.
Rudd is set to face the winner of No. 22 Frances Tiafoe and No. 3 Alcaraz in the final of the 2022 U.S. Open on Sunday.
