Casper Ruud, Ons Jabeur, Caroline Garcia and Karen Khachanov are headed into the 2022 US Open semifinals.
Heavy rain in New York City may have shut down play on the outer courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center–washing out the junior slate–but it couldn’t extinguish fiery matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, which were contested under a closed roof.
Tuesday’s action on Day 9 of the 2022 US Open.
Ruud bests Berrettini:
First up in Arthur Ashe Stadium: No. 5 seed Casper Ruud of Norway breezed through his initial quarterfinal set against Matteo Berrettini of Italy, bested his opponent in the second as the No. 13 seed found his ground and then squeaked his way out of a tiebreak in the third for a straight sets victory, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(4). At 83 minutes, the decider alone was longer than the first two combined.
Having reached the Roland Garros final this spring–falling to the King of Clay himself, Rafael Nadal–Ruud now stands a good chance of claiming the ATP world No. 1 ranking next week. He can clinch the top spot with the title–or by reaching the final, should Carlos Alcaraz fail to reach the trophy round.
“That was a better start than I think I ever had before in a match,” said Ruud, following his first US Open quarterfinal. “Everything was going my way, I was hitting all the spots I needed to plus Matteo maybe didn’t serve as well as he usually does. I was able to take care of the chances that I got.”
Jabeur defeats Tomljanovic:
In a high-quality, speedy match on Tuesday afternoon, Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur and Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic squared off. Both players brought some of their best tennis to Arthur Ashe Stadium, but in the end, the No. 5 seed provided more consistency and control than her unseeded opponent. It boiled down to just a few key points, finishing 6-4, 7-6(4), for Jabeur.
The Tunisian fell behind in the second half of the second set, seeming tired as she fired shots wide. That’s not to detract from Tomljanovic’s often impressive precision: Though Jabeur upped her first-serve winning percentage to 71% for the match (22/31), Tomljanovic also bumped up her own defense. With both players drenched in sweat, huffing and puffing as the match came to a close, Jabeur wore out her opponent in a tiebreak.
The victory makes Jabeur the first African to reach a US Open semifinal in the Open era.
“I had to be patient, keep working hard, and here I am in the semifinals of the US Open,” the No. 5 seed said.
Even if she’s forever remembered as the player who ended Serena Williams’ career, Tomljanovic has already established herself as a solid player capable of big moments. She’s now reached back-to-back Slam quarterfinals, dating back at Wimbledon, and improved upon her 2021 Round 3 US Open exit.
Garcia too much for Gauff:
France’s Caroline Garcia raced to a 4-0 lead as Coco Gauff was slow to warm up under the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof, the American sending a few rusty shots wide and others into the net. Gauff improved as the match passed the half-hour mark, blasting an emphatic ace on her own serve to reach 3-5; the Frenchwoman’s momentum stalled as Garcia made some errors herself. But she righted the ship just in time and held enough of a lead to take the set on her own serve, 6-3.
Riding that high, Garcia immediately broke Gauff in the second set. Despite a break point opportunity on Garcia’s serve at 2-3, Gauff was unable to convert. Garcia ultimately won the second set and the match at 6-4, never ceding serve in the second set.
“I don’t know how to describe it. It’s crazy,” Garcia said after her victory. “The atmosphere was very, very strong. Obviously, to play an American here is like crazy energy. My head is just buzzing.”
At 18 years old, Gauff almost certainly has plenty of Grand Slam deep runs in her future.
Khachanov edges past Kyrgios in epic five-setter:
During the last match in Ashe on Tuesday night (into early Wednesday morning), Karen Khachanov edged past Nick Kyrgios in an epic five-setter that lasted three hours and 39 minutes: 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6(3)-7, 6-4.
“We played five sets, four hours–that’s the only way to beat Nick, I think,” Khachanov said.
Doubles in Louis Armstrong Stadium:
Despite the poor weather, a five doubles matches were contested today in a closed-court Louis Armstrong Stadium. The top two seeds in men’s doubles could still potentially collide in a final, each pair winning a quarterfinal match today. No. 1-seeded partners Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury–of the United States and Great Britain, respectively–defeated Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski in a tight, two-and-a-half hour three-setter: 6-4, 6(3)-7, 6-4.
Second-seeded partners Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski–of the Netherlands and Great Britain, respectively–had an easier time with Marcelo Demoliner and Joao Sousa, winning in just 63 minutes: 6-3, 6-1.
What’s more, 2019 men’s doubles champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah defeated Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara, 7-6(5), 6-2.
Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez, the women’s doubles No. 10 seeds, won their draw’s only completed quarterfinal. It was a genuine epic, with some aerobatic shotmaking across three sets: 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4.
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