Prior to the US Open this year, Ruud’s Slam results reflected the way many labelled him, as a clay-court specialist. Outside of the French Open, the Norwegian had only made it to the fourth round of a Slam once, at the 2021 Australian Open. His best result in New York came in 2020, reaching the third round before losing to Matteo Berrettini in straight sets.

However, concerning the biggest stage, Ruud has recent experience going deep, having made the final at the French Open in June before losing to his idol Rafael Nadal.

Similarly, Khachanov’s best Major results had come off the hard courts, on the clay and grass, reaching one quarter-final at each of the French Open and Wimbledon in 2019 and 2021 respectively. Otherwise, he reached the third round of the Australian Open every year from 2019 to 2022, and made it to the same stage at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and 2020.

His two best career results came on hard courts though, the first being indoors when he won the 2018 Paris Masters, the other outdoors when he claimed silver in the Olympic singles last year at Tokyo 2020.

Head-to-head: Ruud 1-0 Khachanov

Ruud versus Khachanov is a relatively unknown quantity, the two having only ever met once before at any level of competition. That meeting came in the first round of the Covid-delayed 2020 Rome Masters, with Ruud coming out the victor 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Ruud, 23, and Khachanov, 26, briefly overlapped in their junior careers in late 2013 and early 2014 before the elder turned pro, but never played at the same tournament in that time.

Entering New York last month, neither man had much of a solid hard court build-up. Ruud reached the semi-finals of the Montreal Masters before losing to Hubert Hurkacz, but fell to American wildcard Ben Shelton in the first round of Cincinnati the following week. But the world number seven settled into the draw in New York, his run culminating in a straight sets dismissal of 2019 semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini to make it to the semi-finals.

Across Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati, Khachanov won just two singles matches, hardly the sort of form that would seem to set him up well for a run to his first ever Major semi-final. However, he put aside that disappointment to overcome two-time US Open semi-finalist Pablo Carreno Busta and one of the tournament favourites Nick Kyrgios in back-to-back five set battles to set a meeting with Ruud.