Khachanov Reaches US Open Semis

Karen Khachanov is back in a US Open semifinal for the first time since 2022. Alexander Blockx retired trailing 6-2, 7-5, 3-2 on Wednesday in New York, sending the world No. 50 into the final four after one hour and 38 minutes, per Reuters.

That is a third career Grand Slam semifinal for Khachanov and his first major last-four since the 2023 Australian Open. The next board is top seed Alexander Zverev, who already punched his own semis ticket.

Blockx's body gave out

Blockx, the 28th seed and the first Belgian man to reach a US Open quarterfinal, carried a rib injury into the match and looked worse as it went. He wore a brace on his right ankle, had his thigh wrapped, and called for the trainer. He told reporters his body just gave up, citing the rib, his leg, and a blocked nerve in his back that made it even harder to move in the second set.

Khachanov said he felt himself dominating early, then saw Blockx struggling more and more. He kept the energy up, wished Blockx a speedy recovery, and walked off happy to be in the semis. That is the clean version of a cruel quarterfinal. No invented injury drama beyond what Blockx and the wires already said.

Zverev next in Flushing

Khachanov already knocked out third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and 14th seed Learner Tien on the way to the quarters. He had not played a major with a ranking this low since 2017. Now he gets Zverev, a rematch of their Tokyo Olympics gold-medal match, after Zverev reached the semis by beating Botic van de Zandschulp.

Zverev leads the head-to-head and arrives as the only Grand Slam winner left in the men's draw. Khachanov arrives as the unseeded veteran who has already survived two seeded names and a walk-off retirement. Semis at a major rarely care about the path. They care about who shows up with clean legs and a clear plan.

For tennis fans, this is the underdog half of the men's draw turning into a real test. Khachanov has the hard-court pedigree and the New York history. Zverev has the seeding, the Slam title this year, and the cleaner path. Semis Friday. Khachanov earned the stage the hard way, then watched the other guy's body decide it. Either way, he is in the last four again, and Flushing gets another heavyweight afternoon.