New York (AFP) – Karen Khachanov punched his ticket to the US Open semi-finals on Wednesday, advancing when Belgian Alexander Blockx retired from their quarter-final with the Russian leading 6-2, 7-5, 3-2.
Khachanov, currently ranked 50th in the world, entered the tournament unseeded at a Grand Slam for the first time since Wimbledon in 2018. However, he is now in his third Grand Slam semi-final after making it to the last four at the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Australian Open. He will face either top-seeded Alexander Zverev or Dutch veteran Botic van de Zandschulp for a place in the final.
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Khachanov’s run to the quarters featured wins over third-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and rising US talent Learner Tien, who was seeded 14th. In facing Blockx, he encountered an opponent who was already battling injuries coming into the match.
“I saw really that he was suffering all over his body,” Khachanov said. Blockx, the first Belgian man to reach the US Open quarters, mentioned that he was on the verge of retiring due to a rib injury during his fourth-round win over Francisco Cerundolo. On Wednesday, he had medical timeouts for treatment on a foot and for apparent lower back pain that hindered him throughout the match.
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