09/09/26 07:06:00
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09/09 19:04 CDT Khachanov reaches US Open semifinals after Blockx's body gives
out and forces him to stop playing
Khachanov reaches US Open semifinals after Blockx's body gives out and forces
him to stop playing
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Karen Khachanov was prepared to go through a tough test to
get back to the U.S. Open semifinals. Alexander Blockx's body wasn't up for one.
Blockx stopped playing in the third set Wednesday because of injuries to his
leg, ribs and back, sending Khachanov to his third Grand Slam semifinal.
"I think my body just gave up," Blockx said.
Khachanov won the first two sets 6-2 and 7-5, and the No. 28 seed from Belgium
decided it was time to stop after Khachanov broke his serve to take a 3-2 lead
in the third.
"I was preparing really, really well for that matchup. It's not easy really to
play because from one side I was feeling I was dominating from the beginning,
then I started to feel like he was struggling more and more," Khachanov said,
adding he saw that Blockx was "suffering all over his body."
Khachanov will play top-seeded Alexander Zverev or Botic van de Zandschulp in a
bid for his first major final. The Russian got to the semifinals of the U.S.
Open in 2022 and the Australian Open in 2023.
Khachanov was unseeded in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2018
after a strange season. He reached at least the third round of all four majors
for the first time but is just 10-15 in other events, with losses in the
opening rounds of all three hard-court events before coming to New York.
Blockx said he nearly stopped in his last match because of his injuries. As he
got treatment for multiple body parts Wednesday, he said ne was neither upset
nor angry.
"To be honest, during the match, it was quite funny to me. I just had to laugh
it off, because it was just something new the whole time," he said. "I think it
was just my body that started compensating as well. I was starting to do
different motions than I usually do just to avoid the pain."
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