NEW YORK, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Karen Khachanov has reached his first Grand Slam semifinal after a hard-fought win over Nick Kyrgios, edging the Australian firebrand 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4 at the US Open on Tuesday.
Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios, who had defeated top seed Daniil Medvedev in the last round, could not maintain his mojo in an intense quarterfinal which lasted more than three and an half hours.
"It's just devastating. It's heartbreaking," said 27-year-old Kyrgios, who smashed his rackets during the match to vent his anger and frustration at some so-close-yet-so-far results.
"I feel the pain for him," said Khachanov. "I was prepared. I was expecting that the crowd would be more for him, that he was the favorite in their eyes."
Khachanov will face No.5 seed Casper Ruud, as the Norwegian notched a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over Italian Matteo Berrettini in the quarterfinal on Friday for a berth in the championship match.
Earlier in the day, 28-year-old Caroline Garcia of France took charge and played high-stakes tennis in the women's singles, eliminating 18-year-old American Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-4 to reach the first Grand Slam semifinal of her career.
The 17th-seeded Frenchwoman who stretched her winning streak to 13 matches will face Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur.
Fifth seed Jabeur of Tunisia became the first African woman to make a US Open semifinal in the professional era. She claimed a 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic, who had ousted Serena Williams in the previous round. ■
