Karen Khachanov reached the US Open semi-finals after Alexander Blockx was forced to retire during their quarter-final, bringing an impressive breakthrough run for the young Belgian to a painful end.
Khachanov was leading 6-2, 7-5, 3-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium when Blockx could no longer continue after battling through persistent upper-body pain. The 21-year-old required several medical timeouts during the match before eventually conceding after one hour and 33 minutes.
While Khachanov secured his place in the last four, the Russian admitted that the victory came with mixed emotions as he watched his opponent struggle.
"It is a mixed feeling," Khachanov said. "He is suffering and I don't want to scream, 'Come on', but I wanted to keep the energy there. I wish him a speedy recovery. I saw that he was suffering all over his body."
Blockx had already been dealing with a rib problem throughout his run in New York. He managed to overcome Francisco Cerundolo in four sets in the previous round despite taking painkillers, but the injury worsened against Khachanov and eventually forced him to stop.
Despite the disappointing ending, Blockx leaves the tournament having made Belgian tennis history. He became the first Belgian man to reach the US Open quarter-finals and the country's youngest men's Grand Slam quarter-finalist in the Open Era.
The Belgian also produced one of the biggest upsets of his career by defeating world No. 6 Flavio Cobolli, earning only his second Top-10 victory. His run has lifted him to No. 27 in the live rankings, a significant rise for a player who arrived in New York outside the top 100.
For Khachanov, reaching the semi-finals marks another strong run at a Grand Slam and a major resurgence in his career. The 29-year-old arrived in New York ranked No. 50, his lowest position since May 2017, but has now climbed to No. 26 in the live rankings.
This will be Khachanov's third Grand Slam semi-final, following his runs at the 2022 US Open and 2023 Australian Open. He has already recorded notable wins in New York, including a straight-sets victory over world No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime and a hard-fought five-set win against Learner Tien.
With his place in the final four secured, Khachanov is now looking towards a first Grand Slam final appearance.
"Once you are in the semi-finals, you are thinking about one step forward," he said.
Khachanov will face either top seed Alexander Zverev or Botic van de Zandschulp in the semi-finals. With his confidence growing throughout the tournament, the Russian now has a major opportunity to turn his resurgence into the biggest achievement of his career.
