Anderson is nearly there

Following a short celebration of his career-best performance in the previous round, Kevin Anderson (below) is confident of going a step further after shifting his focus towards the semifinals at the US Open in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

Having defeated American Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals, reaching the penultimate round of a Grand Slam for the first time, Anderson was set to face Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain for a place in the trophy decider.

“I want to say it’s a fantastic feeling, but at the same time I feel like I want to keep going in this tournament,” Anderson said.

Aiming to become the first South African man to reach the US Open final since Cliff Drysdale achieved the feat in 1965, during the amateur era, Anderson credited his progress to minor improvements in his game.

He was also pleased to have recovered from niggles which disrupted his 2016 campaign.

“At this level, when we have all been playing for so long, it’s tough to make huge adjustments and improvements. It’s little things,” Anderson said.

“One of the things I have probably spent the most time on is just keeping my body healthy.

“I’m a little tired but my body is holding up.”

In a wide-open contest, Anderson remained cautious of Busta, the No 12 seed, who progressed beyond the third round of a Grand Slam for only the second time in his career.

“He’s obviously very confident,” Anderson said.

“It will be an interesting match, and I’m very excited to go out there and compete in the semifinals.”

The winner of the match would meet either 15-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal of Spain or 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in Sunday’s final.

Also see Page 36