Nick Kyrgios grabbed his bags and left Arthur Ashe Stadium frustrated: the Australian tennis star missed out on the semi-finals at the US Open in New York in a five-set thriller.
Two days after his outstanding win over defending champion Daniil Medvedev, Kyrgios was beaten 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6 by Russian Karen Khachanov after 3:39 hours. During the match, Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios, who made too many errors, had treatment on his calf.
“I made it,” said Khachanov, visibly proud of reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final. There he will meet Casper Ruud of Norway. Ruud, the number five seed, had earlier defeated Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in three straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) to become the first Norwegian in tournament history to qualify for the top four. If Ruud reaches the final, he could take over the number one spot in the world rankings from Russia’s Medvedev after the event.
The first women’s semi-final pairing has also been decided: Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur will face Carolina Garcia. The French Garcia showed an outstanding performance in her 6:3, 6:4 against US young star Coco Gauff (18). Tunisia’s Jabeur edged Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), who had knocked Serena Williams out of the competition in the third round.
“I didn’t play the level I needed to win,” said Gauff, who nevertheless looked back on the tournament with great satisfaction: “Overall, I’m super proud of myself. But I’m also hungry for more. “
