If Casper Ruud becomes the new world No 1 in two days’ time, some will inevitably question the legitimacy of the Norwegian’s claim to the throne at a time when Rafael Nadal holds two of the sport’s four major titles.
The clinical manner in which Ruud went about reaching his second grand slam final in three months at Flushing Meadows, dissecting the game of Karen Khachanov, a towering 26-year-old Russian with a booming serve and haymaker forehand, offered a cogent and compelling rejoinder.
Ruud has a formidable forehand of his own, a destructive affair delivered with pace and explosive topspin, but his game is more about all-round excellence than standout weapons. Sound technique in all areas of the court. Strong movement and tactical awareness. A calm, patient mentality that delivers calm, patient tennis.
Considered individually, none of these qualities is likely to stop the casual passerby in their tracks; as a collective whole, they can overrun even a player of Khachanov’s potency, as the Russian acknowledged.
“He’s No 2 in the world right now, that shows his improvement,” said Khachanov, a five-set victor over Nick Kyrgios in the previous round. “The main thing, obviously, is his consistency, his way of defending. As soon as you [start] pushing, giving him the space to step in, he’s really fast to go around his forehand, play aggressive.
“[It’s his] overall game. If you see from that perspective, he’s not that tall, but he has a big serve, precise. At the same time his main weapon is his forehand, going around, accelerating the ball, having one of the heaviest topspins on tour. He improved his backhand as well. He’s not missing that many balls. He’s changing down the line. He’s overall a consistent baseliner, let’s call him like that.”
Over the course of three workmanlike hours, Ruud outshone the Muscovite in every department, generating more winners (53 to 43), making fewer unforced errors (34 to 41), creating more break points and, most notably, winning a higher percentage of points behind both his first and second serves.
Unsurprisingly, it was enough to earn Ruud a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory that sets up a straight shootout with Carlos Alcaraz, a five-set winner over Frances Tiafoe, for the US Open title and world No 1 ranking.
“If I want to beat Carlos, I’ll need to play very precise with all the shots that I hit, especially try to keep him a little bit further back in the court, to play with good depth and length on all my shots,” said Ruud, the first Norwegian man to reach a major final.
“If he steps in, he can do anything with the ball. He can rip a winner. He also has great touch with the drop shot. I think he has one of the best drop shots on tour.
“If you play with good depth and good length, it’s tougher to hit drop shots. That will be something that I will try to focus on. We’re playing for the tournament and also world No 1. Of course, there will be nerves, and we will both feel it.”
After facing Khachanov, he will be well rehearsed. Nerves were evident from both men in the early stages, with four of the first eight games going against serve.
The opening set came down to a lung-busting 55-shot rally at 6-5 in the tiebreak, the rarest of novelties in an era when advances in racket and string technology have enabled players to generate unprecedented power. It was Ruud who emerged trembly-legged but triumphant, raising his arms aloft after finally forcing an error with a deep backhand into Khachanov’s forehand corner, and from that point on the Norwegian grew in stature.
“That gave, of course, motivation and energy to play good and keep going in the second,” said Ruud, who raced through the second set and, having dropped the third in the face of some irresistible serving from Khachanov, broke early in the fourth with a sensational running forehand.
This time last year, Ruud was wont to make jokes at his own expense about his prowess on hard courts. His best results have come on European clay: he won three consecutive titles on red dirt last summer, and was a finalist at Roland Garros in June, when he was put firmly in his place by Nadal.
Yet, as he has pointed out, the weather in his native Oslo obliged him to spend six months of each season playing on indoor hard courts during his formative years. He is no stranger to the surface, and this season’s run to the Miami Open final – where he was stopped in straight sets by Alcaraz – served not only to reinforce his own confidence, but also reshaped the perceptions of his peers.
“Reaching that final did something with my self-belief, but also respect [from] other players,” said Ruud. “Whenever they look at my results, they’ll see, ‘OK, he made the final of an ATP 1000 on hard court. This guy knows [how] to play more than just on clay.’”
“If you can have small percentages of fear or respect in your opponent’s head before going out in a match, it will of course help.”
That is not an advantage Ruud will enjoy against Alcaraz, who has won both their previous meetings. Yet the Spanish third seed was once again forced to battle long into the night against Tiafoe, and after surviving three epic matches in succession – including a 2.50am finish, the latest in US Open history, against Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals – it remains to be seen how much the 19-year-old has left in the tank.
If perspiration outweighs inspiration, perceptions may need to shift further before the week is out.