US Open 2022: Casper Ruud vs Karen Khachanov preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Casper Ruud vs (27) Karen Khachanov.
Date: September 9, 2022.
Tournament: US Open 2022.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: New York, United States.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $60,102,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & ESPN2 | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv, Sony Ten & Sony Six.
Casper Ruud vs Karen Khachanov preview
2022 French Open finalist Casper Ruud will square off against World No. 31 Karen Khachanov in the semifinals of the 2022 US Open on Friday.
Ruud's path to the quarterfinals was marked by wins over Kyle Edmund, Tim van Rijthoven, Tommy Paul and Corentin Moutet. He was up against 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in the last eight.
Ruud got off to a flying start, racing to a 5-0 lead in no time. Berrettini finally got on board with a hold of serve, but the Norwegian served out the set in the following game to nab the opener.
Ruud continued his dominance in the second set as well, jumping to a 5-1 lead. Berrettini then saved a couple of set points on his serve and broke his opponent's serve in the next game. He held serve once again to make it 5-4. The Italian's fightback was nipped in the bud as the World No. 7 served out the set in the following game.
Berrettini went 3-0 ahead in the third set and even served for it at 5-3, but Ruud managed to push the set into a tie-break. The Norwegian ultimately came out on top to win the match 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(4). He has now advanced to his first semifinal at the US Open, and is another step closer to claiming the World No. 1 ranking.
One step closer!
Casper Ruud is into the #USOpen semifinals. https://t.co/Zn2jEV8b85
Karen Khachanov defeated Denis Kudla, Thiago Monteiro, Jack Draper and Pablo Carreno Busta to reach the quarterfinals here. He took on the in-form Nick Kyrgios in the last eight.
Both players were evenly matched in the first set and remained solid on serve until the very end. Kyrgios had a game point at 6-5 to take the set into a tie-break, but Khachanov managed to break his serve to clinch the set. A solitary break of serve at the start of the second set was enough for the Australian to take it, leveling the match.
Kyrgios held a couple of break points at 4-4 in the third set, but failed to capitalize on them. This proved to be costly as Khachanov broke his serve soon after to grab the set. The fourth set was decided by a tie-break, which went the Australian's way.
Khachanov started the deciding set by breaking Kyrgios' serve. The Russian didn't allow his opponent to make a comeback, maintaining his lead to win the match 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4. He has now reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal.
Casper Ruud vs Karen Khachanov head-to-head
Ruud leads Khachanov 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2020 Italian Open in three sets.
Casper Ruud vs Karen Khachanov odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Casper Ruud vs Karen Khachanov prediction
Ruud played one of his best matches of the tournament to oust Berrettini in the quarterfinals. Khachanov did the same against Kyrgios, and with a spot in the championship round on the line, both will be aiming to put their best foot forward in the semifinals.
Ruud will need to find a way to neutralize Khachanov's big serve. So far, the Russian has hit 89 aces in the tournament, and blasted 30 of them in his previous match. Khachanov also has the tools to overpower the World No. 7 with his huge groundstrokes. He hit a whopping 63 winners and committed 31 unforced errors in the quarterfinals.
However, Ruud's consistency can wear Khachanov down and even entice him into making some mistakes. He's hitting his forehand with considerable speed and spin, while maintaining a fine balance between offensive and defensive tennis.
While Ruud has already contested a Major final before, Khachanov is gunning for his first one. The Russian might feel the weight of the occasion and could falter at some point. Both have had a pretty good tournament so far, but based on their performances, Ruud has the edge in this one.
Pick: Casper Ruud to win in four sets.
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Results