Ruud on his way to number one

The last Grand Slam tournament of the year is entering its final phase. On Friday, the men’s semi-finals are on the agenda. It is already clear that there will definitely be a new champion at the four major tournaments. Possibly this could be Karen Khachanov, because the Russian has made it to the semifinals and will meet Casper Ruud from Norway there.

With Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas, some of the favourites had to pull out early. Others, such as Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev, did not even take part in Flushing Meadows. The task now is to seize the opportunity and return home after the final on Sunday with precious metal and a lot of prize money.

The Norwegian, seeded fifth, not only has the chance to celebrate his biggest win on the tour, but could possibly add to his triumph by moving up to number one in the world rankings. Before the match between Karen Khachanov and Casper Ruud, we at least dare to predict that the Norwegian will reach the final.

Karen Khachanov, however, is a man who is always so slightly underestimated because he is more likely to be found in the Top 30 range in the rankings. But the Russian has all the qualities needed to win the semi-final. In general, our tendency in the preliminary round between Karen Khachanov and Casper Ruud is more towards a tip on the Scandinavian.

Karen Khachanov – Statistics & Current Form

Current world ranking: 31
Position in the seedings: 27

Karen Khachanov was already in the top ten of the ATP rankings a good three years ago. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old has always been somewhat overshadowed by his two compatriots Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. With the semi-final at Flushing Meadows, however, he has now freed himself a bit and it is already clear that he will make a big leap forward in the world rankings.

Never without losing a set

2018 Karen Khachanov won the Paris Masters. Add to that the triumph with the Russian team in the Davis Cup and the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, but what the Russian is currently delivering in New York has to be considered the greatest success of his career, even if he is not exactly a crowd favourite due to the political events surrounding his homeland.

In the run-up to the tournament, there was not much to suggest that he would be on the cards for the US Open. In Montreal, Karen Khachanov failed in the second round and in Cincinnati he even lost his opening match. In Flushing Meadows, however, he is now up to the task. In the first two rounds, he had to go through four sets against Denis Kudla and Thiago Monteiro before the 26-year-old found himself in the last 16 at 1-1 after sets due to the retirement of Jack Draper from Great Britain.

From then on it became dramatic and protracted. Against Pablo Carreno Busta and also in the quarter-finals against Nick Kyrgios, the Russian had to go over five sets in each case. That means he never came off the court quickly in any match. That’s why we don’t expect only three rounds in the semifinals and look at the odds for more than three sets between Karen Khachanov and Casper Ruud.

Casper Ruud – Statistics & current form

Current world ranking: 7
Position in the seedings: 5

The big goal is within reach for Casper Ruud. He has already moved past Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev in the rankings. After the US Open 2022, the Norwegian will be third in the ATP ranking in the worst case. Whether he even ascends the tennis throne depends on his own performance and that of Carlos Alcaraz. Should both fail, former champion Rafael Nadal would once again be ranked number one in the world.

Second Grand Slam final beckons

The Norwegian is just 23 years old, but what is remarkable is his steady rise. He has now collected nine titles on the tour and reached the final of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the French Open in the summer. Now he could repeat this feat at the US Open and the bookmakers are predicting a win for the Norwegian in the match between Karen Khachanov and Casper Ruud.

However, he did not always look confident in Flushing Meadows. In the first round, at least, he did not have much trouble with Kyle Edward from Great Britain and won 3:0. Afterwards, however, the Scandinavian always had to tremble a little against Tim van Rijthoven, Tommy Paul and Corentin Moutet and always gave up at least one round.

In the quarter-finals Casper Ruud showed his best side again, perhaps because with Matteo Berrettini the biggest challenge so far was waiting. However, the Italian is not exactly in top form and Casper Ruud knew how to take advantage of that when he won 6:4, 6:4 and 7:6. Now it’s time to make Norwegian tennis history.

Karen Khachanov – Casper Ruud Direct comparison / H2H record

We can’t draw too many conclusions from the direct comparison between Karen Khachanov and Casper Ruud. Firstly, the two opponents have only faced each other once and secondly, this match was played on a clay court, which, as we know, is a completely different game compared to the hard court that serves as the surface in Flushing Meadows.

Two years ago, this duel took place in the first round of the clay court Masters in Rome. At that time, the Norwegian was still clearly behind the Russian in the rankings. Nevertheless, he surprisingly prevailed. After 2:14 hours, Casper Ruud won 6:3, 3:6 and 6:1

Karen Khachanov – Casper Ruud Tip

There are those days when Karen Khachanov is capable of anything. He got one of those in the quarter-finals against Nick Kyrgios when he took down the favoured Australian in five sets. However, this match also took some energy and it remains to be seen whether he will now be in top physical condition again against Casper Ruud.

The Norwegian had an easier match in the semifinals, but the clocks will be set back to zero on Saturday night. Both players had their problems at Flushing Meadows, and in almost every match.

On balance, though, we think the Norwegian will prevail in the end. For him, there is the added incentive of possibly being the world number one after the US Open. So we rather expect a win for the Scandinavian, but again not without problems and that’s why we decided to play the betting odds on a 3:1 win for the Norwegian between Karen Khachanov and Casper Ruud.