“Pressure is a privilege,” a bronze plaque reminds the world’s best tennis players as they make their way into Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It is a conveniently pithy adage, yet it is only a partial representation of Billie Jean King’s famous words, which continue: “Usually if you have tremendous pressure, it’s because an opportunity comes along.” With the men’s quarter-finals at the US Open shorn of the big three for the second time in three years, a fuller exposition might be in order.
Opportunity looms large at Flushing Meadows, where a grand slam champion from outside the triumvirate of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will be crowned on Sunday for only the eighth time since Federer won his first Wimbledon title in 2003. On a day of heavy rainfall in New York, the attendant pressures were plain to see.
Matteo Berrettini was the first to sink without trace. The Italian, a semi-finalist three years ago, was swept aside 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) as Casper Ruud, the fifth seed, rode a tide of inspiration to reach the last four for the first time.
Many observers expected Berrettini, with his booming serve, flamethrower forehand and superior grand slam pedigree, to have too much for the Norwegian. But on an afternoon when Berrettini barely turned up until he was on the verge of a two-set deficit, a fourth major semi-final was never on the cards.
“I was really bad,” said Berrettini. “I didn’t check my percentage of serve. I didn’t check the stats, but my game wasn’t there.
“He played a really good match, and I played a really bad match. Really nothing I can say, more than [this was] the worst day of the tournament, probably in the most important moment. Nothing today. I mean, I fought through, but it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t feeling my game. I wasn’t feeling my mindset.”
As Berrettini wilted in the face of opportunity, Ruud soared. It was an immaculate performance from the 23-year-old, who reached his first grand slam final this summer at Roland Garros and has a chance to claim the No 1 ranking if he can advance to the title round of a second major in three months.
Having set out to nullify Berrettini’s heavy artillery by making a high percentage of returns and forcing the Italian to contest the baseline exchanges off his weaker backhand side, Ruud executed his strategy to near perfection. The Norwegian surrendered just two unforced errors en route to a 6-1, 5-1 lead and then weathered a belated fightback from Berrettini, who established a 5-2 lead in the third set, to save two set points.
Buoyed by his growing feel for the rhythms of the five-set format, and increasingly confident on hard courts after reaching the final of the Miami Open earlier this year, Ruud is embracing the possibilities that lie ahead.
“It’s sort of a city of dreams, and I guess that’s helping me with my game and my motivation,” said Ruud, who also reached the last four in Montreal before the US Open.
“During Paris, something clicked, and I feel like this year I have sort of figured out a better way to play five sets, knowing that it’s very different from playing best of three sets.
“It often becomes much longer matches, and a lot of back and forth. Also realising or knowing that you can sort of let one set go every once in a while, to save some energy for the rest of the sets. So I think I matured and learned how to play five sets better than I did last year.”
The same might be said of Nick Kyrgios, whose run to the Wimbledon final has been the catalyst for a remarkable summer in which he has emerged as the tour’s form player, claiming the Washington title and twice defeating Daniil Medvedev, the current world No 1.
Bookmakers promptly installed Kyrgios as the title favourite following Nadal’s shock defeat to Frances Tiafoe in the last 16, but expectation caught up with the volatile Australian against Karen Khachanov, who consigned Kyrgios to a 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 defeat that left the 23rd seed smashing his rackets in frustration.
“I’m just devastated,” said Kyrgios, who was troubled by a sore knee in the early stages of a predictably service-dominated contest.
“I just feel like it was either winning it all or nothing at all, to be honest. I feel like I’ve just failed at this event right now.
“I honestly feel like shit. I feel like I’ve let so many people down.”
At the heart of Kyrgios’s disappointment lay an appreciation that, with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer absent and Nadal beaten – and having ended Medvedev’s reign as champion in the previous round – he may never have a better opportunity to win a grand slam title. He will have known, too, that had he converted either of the two break points he held in the ninth game of the third set, the outcome might have been different. Instead, Khachanov served an ace before Kyrgios, to his evident, racket-smashing dismay, blasted an inviting forehand long.
They were not the only chances that went begging – Khachanov twice served his way out of trouble in the opening game of that set – and although Kyrgios recovered well to force a decider, an early break proved fatal to his ambitions.
Huge credit must go to Khachanov, who embraced the chance to reach his first grand slam semi-final with a performance full of steel and resilience.
“I would say it was quite open for all the guys because everybody [could] see that there is [an] opportunity to take the trophy,” said the 26-year-old. “I would say maybe it even increased the level for everyone.”
Some more than others, it would be fair to say.