The men’s final is set and what a mouthwatering contest we are in for. Ruud and Alcaraz will not only be playing for the US Open Grand Slam title, not only are they both going for their first grand slam but they will also be vying to become the new world number 1. Wow now that’s pressure on those 2 players.

Ruud was the first semi-final played and he was up against a tricky opponent in Khachanov. Khachanov had been playing some great tennis so Ruud would have to play some great tennis to beat him. The first set went to tiebreak and what Ruud took the set in the most amazing fashion. The set point was 57 incredible shots which eventually ended in a forced error and it was Ruud who took the important opening set. The 2nd set was the one of the cleanest sets I have ever watched Ruud play. He didn’t drop a point on serve and took the set 6-2 to lead 2 sets to love. Khachanov managed to stick with Ruud in the 3rd set and it was Ruud who got tight and was broken to lose the set 7-5 and we were heading into a 4th set. Sadly for Khachanov those nerves disappeared quickly and the Norwegian booked his spot in his second grand slam final of the year with a 6-2 fourth set.

The night match was always going to be a good one between Alcaraz and Tiafoe. Alacaraz had played two 5 set matches in his 2 previous rounds why Tiafoe had beaten Nadal in 4 and Rublev in 3. The first set was tightly contested and it went all the way to a breaker. Tiafoe eventually taking the breaker 8-6 in incredible style. This meant that Tiafoe had one all 7 of his tiebreakers in this year’s US Open. What a stat! Alcaraz hit back with an impressive set of tennis. He nearly slipped up as he served for it but managed to take the 2nd set 6-3 and then raced away with the 3rd set to lead 2 sets to one. The 4th set was tightly contested but at 5-4 it looked like it could be over as Alcaraz had a match point on Tiafoe’s serve. Alcaraz missed his forehand by millimetres to keep Tiafoe in the match. The 4th set went to another breaker and it was once again a breaker which went Tiafoe’s way. He was now 8 from 8. Alcaraz broke and held at the beginning of the decider before Tiafoe did the same to make it 2-2. Tiafoe was then broken again and Alcaraz led 3-2. 3 holds of serve later and it was Tiafoe serving to stay in the match at 3-5. Alcaraz managed to break and take his 3rd 5 set match of the tournament to book his spot in Sunday’s final.

Onto that fantasy leaderboard and it is ‘Drop Shots’ who lead by just 4 points over ‘My Dream Team’. ‘Eish’ is just 2 points back in 3rd. A long way back in 4th is ‘Simply Smashing’ and a late move from ‘Stefanos Toiletpas’ to sit in 5th after day 12.

The only pick to go out on day 12 was Khachanov who was picked by just 1 team. ‘Apple Deuce’ was sadly eliminated on day 12 due to Khachanov losing.

Men’s Semi-Final Results

• Ruud(5) beat Khachanov(27) – 7-6(5); 6-2; 5-7; 6-2
• Alcaraz(3) beat Tiafoe(22) – 6-7(6); 6-3; 6-1; 6-7(5); 6-3

Ladies Final Tonight

• Swiatek(1) vs Jabeur(5) (22:00)

Jared

Jared matriculated in 2020 from Wynberg Boys High School in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. His passion for tennis afforded him the opportunity of travelling to Europe. He is a quizmaster and a fantasy organiser.