Anderson sets sights on semis

Though he admits there have been a number of surprise exits at the US Open, opening the door for lesser known prospects, South African ace Kevin Anderson is gearing up for a hard-fought battle in his quarterfinal clash tonight.

Anderson stormed into the last eight at Flushing Meadows late on Sunday evening, defeating Italian player Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 as he progressed beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the second time in his career.

Only four of the top 10 seeds had made it past the third round, and only seven of the top 20 seeds were among the 16 players who reached round four, but Anderson insisted he was preparing for a tough challenge against American Sam Querrey this evening.

“It’s been a very different tournament. Our sport’s been dominated by such a select group of people for so long, it feels a little bit different,” Anderson told the event website.

“I think most sports are like this, where you do have multiple people contending, but you’ve had some of the greatest players of all time playing in our time here, so obviously at this stage it’s always going to be a tough match.”

Anderson reached the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows in 2015, where he lost to Swiss ace Stan Wawrinka.

After being sidelined by injuries last year, the 31-year-old player made an impressive comeback this season, capped by his progress at the prestigious annual tournament in New York.

He hoped his impressive form and his experience would carry him through to the semifinals.

“That match (in 2015) didn’t go the way I wanted it,” Anderson said. “I feel like I’ve had a lot of experiences I can draw on. I’m two years older and hopefully two years wiser.”