"I didn't look at him after we shook hands, I saw after the racquets were flying" - Karen Khachanov on Nick Kyrgios smashing his racquets following US Open quarterfinal defeat
Karen Khachanov defeated Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals of the US Open on Tuesday. The pair contested a hard-fought match at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, which ended with the Russian emerging victorious 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(3) 6-4 in three hours and 39 minutes.
In the immediate aftermath of the defeat, Kyrgios had a meltdown on the court. Having shaken hands with Khachanov and the chair umpire, the Aussie smashed two of his racquets, leaving them broken on the court, before making a hasty exit.
Speaking about the incident at his post-match press conference, Khachanov said that while he did not catch Kyrgios in the act, he understood the Australian's frustration.
"I mean, it's painful. I think it hurts for him or it would be the same for me if I would lose that match. It's never easy to lose five sets because you give your best, you give your self best throughout the whole match, then it's never easy to accept the defeat. To be honest, I didn't look at him after we shaked hands. I saw after the racquets were flying. But I feel the pain for him, yeah," he explained.
Nick Kyrgios complaining about his calf injury to his box.
"I don’t want to fucking play through this shit. I don’t want to play through it."
#USOpen
While happy with the win, the Russian also took notice of the crowd's vocal support for his opponent.
"Yeah, I was prepared [for the atmosphere]. I was expecting that the crowd would be more for him, that he was the favorite in their eyes. I don't get upset on that. I played Rafa [Nadal] in 2018. I mean, was pretty similar thing. I knew what to expect. I knew what I have to do, how focused I have to stay. Just to deliver a good match. That's what I did basically," he said.
Karen Khachanov to face Casper Ruud in US Open semifinals
With the defeat of Nick Kyrgios in the US Open quarterfinals, Karen Khachenov made personal history by going through to his maiden Grand Slam semifinal.
The Russian started strong in the clash with Kyrgios, taking a hard-fought opener. The Wimbledon runner-up fought back to level the tie in the second, but fell behind again as Khachanov took the third.
Kyrgios came within two points of defeat before forcing a decider, where he was outplayed by his opponent thanks to a decisive break.
Karen Khachanov earned every bit of that win. He didn’t win because Kyrgios was injured, he didn’t win because Kyrgios didn’t care, he won because he was the BETTER player. Simple as that.
Amazing for him!
After the match Khachanov expressed happiness at his performance, despite being taken the distance by Kyrgios.
"To be honest, yeah, from the beginning till the end, great performance - at least I will talk about myself, from my side. I stayed there. I waited for my chances. I created them, as well. I'm super happy, super proud that I could finish the match, I could take it. Serving for the match, never easy. Yeah, just super happy to do this step forward to make my first semifinal," he said.
He will take on Norway’s fifth-seeded Casper Ruud for a place in the US Open final.