SOUTH AFRICAN STORMS THROUGH TO US OPEN SEMIS
South African veteran beats heavy hitter to advance to semi final
KEVIN Anderson moved into his first Grand Slam semi final at the age of 31, emerging from a back-and-forth showdown between big servers to beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-3, 7-6 (7) at the US Open.
“I’ve put in a lot of work, so it feels good to reach a milestone I haven’t before,” said 28th-seeded Anderson, a South African appearing in his 34th major tournament.
His victory against the 17thseeded Querrey concluded a little before 2am yesterday in front of a sparse crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium – and it did not come easily.
“Getting through – it just feels absolutely fantastic,” Anderson said.
The 2.03m athlete finished with 22 aces; Querrey hit 20.
Anderson trailed 5-2 in the opening tiebreaker before collecting the next five points to claim it. He fought back from a 6-1 deficit in the second tiebreaker to move within a point of winning it himself at 8-7, before eventually succumbing on Querrey’s eighth-set point.
The third set was more straightforward with Anderson breaking to go ahead 4-2, then serving it out, closing with a down-the-line forehand winner. But there was more drama in the fourth, when Querrey fought off a match point at 6-5, then held a set point at 7-6 with a chance to send it to a fifth.
But Querrey wouldn’t win another point, with Anderson reeling off the last three to end the match after nearly three and a half hours.
In tomorrow’s semi finals, Anderson takes on 12th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain.