Tiafoe and Alcaraz have lit up this Open, and injected a new, youthful flash and daring to the men’s draw. But Ruud has been to this stage of a major once before and succeeded, so I’m going to guess that will help him enough to make a difference in the outcome. Judging by their head-to-head and current form, this match seems like a 50-50 pick. Ruud and Khachanov should both feel confident after their somewhat surprising quarterfinal finals: Ruud’s came in straight sets over Mattero Berrettini, Khachanov’s in five over Kyrgios. But as Khachanov showed against Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals, he makes up for that with his serve and two-handed backhand, which is a reliable rally shot and a weapon-especially on returns and passes-when he needs it to be. Ruud’s forehand is more consistent and versatile than Khachanov, who uses an extreme Western grip that can make him vulnerable to slice and low shots. In truth, though, these two play a similar brand of forehand-based tennis, and both hit that shot with a modern-day mix of power and topspin. The surface here should help level the playing field for Khachanov, who has won all four of his career titles on hard courts-three of them indoors. They’ve played once, on clay in Rome in 2020, and Ruud won in three sets. On the contrary, they’re two of the tour’s down-to-earth solid citizens, and likable people. Neither the Russian nor the Norwegian can be a called a showman or a controversial figure. While Ruud, 23, reached his first major final at Roland Garros this year, he’s yet to develop a connection with the fans in New York. Khachanov, 26, has been a fixture in the ATP’s second tier for half a decade, but he’s just now making his Grand Slam semifinal debut. Compared to the other semifinal, between Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe, Ruud-Khachanov has an undercard feel to it.
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