It’s the overcooked forehand in this thriller that could come at a cost Nick Kyrgios Grand Slam title. As brave as the Australian was when he won 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4 by Karen Khachanov at the US Open, one wonders if this golden opportunity will ever come. other. The frustration he showed on his exit from court indicates that he realized it. Broken rackets. and more. It’s a shame, because despite being beaten, he had a tough fight.
But back to the front. The favorite for the US Open title after Rafael Nadal’s exit, the Australian finally seemed to find his rhythm in a choppy but powerful quarter-final match on Tuesday night at Flushing Meadows. Deep in the third set of a tight encounter in four games, two break points sprang up against the Russian who played superbly to deliver the best performance of his career in a major tournament.
In the second of those points, Kyrgios worked in position to punish a forehand. Instead of burning a streak, as it did in many of his shots throughout the first week in New York, the 23rd seed bombed the base streak. Pervet, he drained his faith for a while.
The Wimbledon finalist was very fortunate to get a reprieve from Khachanov, who kept his nerve and focus long enough to break his opponent, in the next match. But the Russian, who previously reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, was tough. He used his ability well to reduce Kyrios’ awesome sending.
The same extension came to the fore when Khachanov, whose style of forehand strike resembles the “crane” kick used by Danielle Larseau in The Karate Kid, hit him on the line that proved too heavy for Kyrgios to handle at a set point. Had Kyrgios hit the forehand 4-4, the percentages suggest he would have won the match to set up a semi-final against Casper Rudd. But tennis is a sport with a good margin.
The toughest competitor, both physically and mentally, won victories. While Kyrgios played an impressive tiebreak in the fourth set to extend the match, it was Khachanov who finished strong in the decider to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.
Kygreos had started the match as one of the favorites after dismantling Khachanov’s compatriot Daniil Medvedev, the defending champion. But the record books suggested it would be much closer. When they played at Melbourne Park in 2020, the last four sets of another thriller ended with Kyrgios winning by a tiebreaker. This has been proven.
The signs of Kyrgios were early. Khachanov was shot. And by making it clear that the Russian was up for the challenge, the Australian started by hitting his left knee.
The first set wasn’t exactly a blink case and you missed it. But it was tennis at its fastest, Khachanov’s 7-5 lead in just 35 minutes with a superb backhand. This was the kind of tennis officials who feared it would become popular until measures were taken to slow the pace a bit. Big guys serve more, and that doesn’t do much to entertain the fans.
We dare suggest it, but early boredom may explain the strange behavior that saw two patrons walk out of Arthur Ashe Stadium after one started shaving the other’s head.
When the ball landed, the quarter-final match swung in Khachanov’s favour. The Australian demanded medical treatment for the noise that was bothering him and started the second set in a more intense way, breaking the second half to lead 2-1. That proved to be enough, so the Australian put in a healthy performance for the rest of the group to tie the match.
Khachanov saved two break points in the opening game of the third set. Then the moment of truth came. Kyrgios seemed to have the upper hand, but the match turned against that forehand that missed. Instead of advancing to the fourth set, he had a mountain to climb that proved very difficult to beat.
Fortunately for him, the 27-year-old showed up fighting. He could raise his tail. Instead he forced the fifth set. But when he fell in the opening match, the writing was on the wall. The Australian’s best season at the Grand Slam ended, as he came close to becoming a champion. But it may fuel his motivation for 2023.
