US Open Tennis 2022: Predictions for Men's Semifinals on Today's Schedule
Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas entered the 2022 U.S. Open as three of the top four seeds in the men's tournament, but none of them made it past the round of 16. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic isn't in New York due to his COVID-19 vaccination status.
That means there are some fresh faces set to play in the U.S. Open semifinals, a quartet of players that not many likely predicted to make it this far at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
No. 3-seeded Carlos Alcaraz will take on No. 22 Frances Tiafoe, while No. 5 Casper Ruud will face No. 27 Karen Khachanov.
This will be the first time that Alcaraz, Tiafoe or Khachanov will play in the semifinals at a Grand Slam event. Ruud has only made it this far once at a major tournament, at this year's French Open in June when he lost to Nadal in the final.
Here's everything you need to know heading into the men's semifinal matches at the 2022 U.S. Open.
Friday Men's Semifinal Schedule
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No. 5 Casper Ruud vs. No. 27 Karen Khachanov, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 22 Frances Tiafoe, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Ruud vs. Khachanov
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Even though Ruud has only made it this far at a major tournament once before, that's one more time than Khachanov, who had never previously made it past the quarterfinals.
Ruud, 23, faced some adversity in the early rounds of the U.S. Open. He went four sets in both the second round and round of 16 against unseeded opponents (Tim Van Rijthoven and Corentin Moutet, respectively), and he needed five sets to see off No. 29-seeded Tommy Paul in the third round.
But the Norwegian is coming off his best showing of the event after defeating No. 13-seeded Matteo Berrettini in straight sets in the quarterfinals. Now, he will look to reach a Grand Slam final for the second time.
And if the French Open runner-up's semifinal match goes long, he's ready for it.
"During Paris, something clicked, and I feel like I, this year, have sort of figured out the better way how to play five sets and knowing that it's very different from playing best-of-three sets," he said, per ESPN. "... Sometimes realizing, or knowing, that you can sort of let one set go every once in a while to save some energy for the rest of the sets."
Khachanov has been faring well in long matches, too.He pulled out five-set victories over No. 12 seed Pablo Carreno Busta in the round of 16 and Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals.
The 26-year-old Russian saved plenty of energy for the finish both times, winning the final sets 6-3 and 6-4, respectively, in those two matches.
Neither Ruud nor Khachanov is likely to win their semifinal in straight sets, but there's a good chance it won't go the full five, either.
That's because Ruud is having a stellar year, which is how he earned the No. 5 seed for this tournament. His victory over Berrettini showed that things may be clicking for him at the right time in New York as well.
A close match early will go in Ruud's favor late, and he'll knock off Khachanov in four sets.
Prediction: Ruud wins in four sets
Alcaraz vs. Tiafoe
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This semifinal has the potential to be an awesome match. Alcaraz and Tiafoe have been two of the best men's players in New York the past two weeks, and they've both pulled out some impressive victories to reach the semifinals.
Alcaraz has been going to sleep pretty late these days, as he's needed five sets to win each of his past two matches, both taking place under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 19-year-old defeated No. 15-seeded Marin Cilic in the round of 16 and then won a marathon against No. 11 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.
The Alcaraz-Sinner match featured two sets with tiebreakers, both going in the latter's favor. But the Spaniard won the final two sets to advance.
This is only the teenager's second appearance at the U.S. Open, and he reached the quarterfinals last year. He's going at least one round further in 2022, and maybe more.
"Honestly, I still don't know how I did it," he told reporters after his quarterfinal win ended at 2:50 a.m. ET early Thursday morning.
Tiafoe has a remarkable story of his own. He is the first American man to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Andy Roddick was the runner-up of the tournament in 2006, and he's the first African American man to do so since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
To get to this point, the 24-year-old had to get past Nadal, the No. 2 seed whose 22 career Grand Slam titles are the most of any men's tennis player. Yet, Tiafoe defeated him in four sets and then beat No. 9-seeded Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the quarterfinals.
Tiafoe has been on a great run, but Alcaraz may be his most challenging opponent yet. The Spanish starlet is putting on resilient showings, and he's going to keep every set competitive, even against a player on a roll like his semifinal opponent.
This last-four contest seems destined to go a full five sets. And if that's the case, Alcaraz knows what it takes to win. He will outlast Tiafoe in another stellar match at this year's U.S. Open.
Prediction: Alcaraz wins in five sets
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