Images from Day 9 of the US Open.
Anderson beats Querrey to spoil American party
Kevin Anderson spoiled the American party at the US Open when the big-serving South African beat local favourite Sam Querrey 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-3, 7-6(7) to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final on Tuesday.
Anderson's win ended the US presence in the men's draw while Sloane Stephens and Venus Williams have both qualified for the last four in the women's draw.
The 17th-seeded Querrey can blame himself for a meltdown in the first set tiebreak, where he lost five points in a row to allow Anderson into the lead under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 31-year-old Anderson, seeded 28th, will face Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta for a spot in Sunday's final.
"This is incredible, at this stage and playing on one of the most famous courts in the world, it feels absolutely fantastic," said Anderson, who became the first South African player to reach the last four of the US Open since tennis turned professional in 1968.
"Losing the second set was really tough but I played each point at a time and it paid big dividends for me today."
The two big servers could not manage a break in the opening set and Querrey, who was hoping to be the first American male to make it to the last four here since Andy Roddick in 2006, moved 5-2 up in the tiebreaker but Anderson then played more freely and won five points in a row to take the lead.
There was an early exchange of breaks in the second set with Querrey opening a 6-1 lead in the tiebreak before suffering another meltdown and finding himself trailing 8-7.
This time, however, the 17th seed regrouped and equalised on his eighth set point when Anderson returned long, triggering a huge roar from the crowd.
But the stands gradually cleared up as the match was sent deep into the night.
Anderson got a decisive break in the sixth game of the third set as Querrey struggled with his first serve and the South African held twice, finishing it off with a forehand winner down the line to lead two sets to one.
The fourth set was tightly contested again and went into another tiebreak.
Querrey saved a first match point with an ace at 6-5, set up a set point at 7-6, which Anderson staved off by forcing his opponent to slice a backhand into the net.
The second match point was good enough for Anderson, who dominated the rally until Querrey's forehand sailed long.
Carreno Busta storms into semis
Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta smacked 30 winners to down Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 and advance to his first-ever Grand Slam singles semi-final at the US Open on Tuesday.
The 12th-seeded Carreno Busta played the solid all-around game that has quietly propelled him through five matches at Flushing Meadows without dropping a single set.
“It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of,” Carreno Busta said in an on-court interview.
“I‘m very excited to be in the semi-finals at this tournament. Thanks to all the people for your support.”
He will next face either American Sam Querrey or big-serving Kevin Anderson of South Africa, who play their quarter-final later on Tuesday.
Schwartzman, perhaps still feeling the effect of a leg injury he picked up during his fourth-round win over Frenchman Lucas Pouille, was broken in his first service game of each set.
The Argentine added to his woes by making 35 unforced errors and winning just 33 percent of points on his second serve.
Momentum swung firmly in Carreno Busta’s favour at 3-4 in the second set after the Spaniard fell behind 0-40. Schwartzman failed to capitalise and Carreno Busta won five consecutive points to even the set up 4-4.
Carreno Busta broke the disheartened Schwartzman in the next game and cruised to the finish line.
Stephens wins to launch American charge
Sloane Stephens took down 16th-seeded Latvian Anastasija Sevastova with a gritty 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4) win on Tuesday to lead what could be an American parade into the US Open semi-finals.
For the first time in 15 years four American women reached the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows with the 83rd-ranked Stephens hoping to be joined in the last four by Venus Williams, CoCo Vandeweghe and Madison Keys.
With her win over 16th seed Sevastova, Stephens becomes the first American woman apart from Venus or Serena Williams to make the US Open last four since 2004.
"Man, I am hoping we can make it four, how awesome would that be," said Stephens. "This is pretty amazing. I hope there are four Americans in the semi-finals."
Ranked outside the top 950 just six weeks ago, Stephens was the most likely of the US contenders to see her run end in the quarter-finals but the 24-year-old would not be denied.
Down 3-1 and a double break point in the third set, she dug deep and rode the support of a raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd to get back on level terms and force a tiebreak,
She clinched victory on her first match point with a thundering a forehand winner down the line.
"I just told myself to keep fighting," said Stephens. "I just knew that if I just stuck with it and continued to play my game I was going to have an opportunity."
