With the American women still going strong during a resurgent U.S. Open, the last domestic man bowed out Tuesday night — no, make that early Wednesday morning — when Sam Querrey fell in the quarterfinals.
South African Kevin Anderson ousted Querrey 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 in a marathon match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“He’s tough to play against,” Querrey said. He’s so overly aggressive. A couple of points here and there [might have changed the match]. He played really well in the big points.”
Querrey — who many thought had a chance to advance to the final because he was on the side of the draw opposite Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — said he didn’t feel any extra pressure being the last American man in the field.
“I never thought about it,” he said. “I was just going out there doing the best I could.”
Anderson reached his first major semifinal, and he’s the first South African to reach the U.S. Open semis, where he will face Pablo Carreno Busta.
“This is incredible. At this stage, playing on one of most famous courts in the world, in a night session, get through, it absolutely feels fantastic,’’ Anderson said in an on-court TV interview.
“Honestly, right now I’m going to put that on hold for a bit,” Anderson said. “This is very special for me. First time being here, I’m going to enjoy it. … [Busta has] had an unbelievable year. It’s going to be a tough battle.”
While most attention on the men’s side is focused on a highly anticipated potential Rafa Nadal-Roger Federer showdown in the semifinals, Querrey’s loss — with model girlfriend Abby Dixon cheering him on — ended the best U.S. Open run of his career, and ensured the American drought without a Grand Slam title since 2003 will continue for yet another year.
In a clash between a pair better suited for banging in the low post – Anderson stands 6-foot-8, and the 29-year-old Californian just two inches shorter — the duo put that power on display. They led the tour in aces, Anderson’s howitzer against Querrey’s bazooka.
Anderson had 22 aces and Querrey 20, the two battering each other with their serves.
They came in remarkably evenly matched, and Querrey leads the series just 8-7. But after alternating the last seven meetings, a pattern that favored Querrey, this time it was the South African who broke through.
After Anderson won a tiebreaker in the first set, Querrey responded by holding on for an 11-9 tiebreaker in the second. After jumping ahead 6-1, he had eight set points — four on his own serve — before finally pulling out the tiebreaker that took more than 15 minutes.
“That was really tough,” admitted Anderson. “He was up 6-1, and next minute it was 6-all; and I had an easy ball for set point. That’s how tennis is. I work really hard to play each point at a time and reset.”
Anderson did just that. Usually a laconic sort, he stayed not only positive, but outwardly intense. He bounced back and got a break to go up 4-2 before closing out the third set.
When Querrey missed a routine forehand for break point in the fourth game of the fourth set, he showed some uncharacteristic frustration and blasted a ball at the upper deck. It came back to cost him.
In yet another tiebreaker, Anderson went up a mini-break, then won a face-to-face rally at net that looked more like a lightsaber duel. Later, Querrey saved an Anderson match point to knot it at 6-all, then broke to go up 7-6 on the longest rally of the match to earn a set point. But he couldn’t convert, Anderson winning the next two to earn match point. And he didn’t miss.
Querrey came into Flushing Meadows ranked No. 21, and after his performance he will vault past both John Isner (No. 15) and Jack Sock (No. 16) to leave as the top American. But after having made his first major semifinal of his life this year at Wimbledon, and put together a career-year, his aim had been even higher.