WHAT HAPPENED: Karen Khachanov is into the first major semifinal of his career, a 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4 winner over 23rd seed Nick Kyrgios of Australia on Tuesday night at the US Open.

Kyrgios, 27, came into the match all but the prohibitive favorite given his sizzling summer swing. He owned a tour-best 26 victories since the start of the grass-court campaign, highlighted by his first-ever major final at Wimbledon, his second Washington title, and not one but two wins over reigning world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in a matter of weeks.

The Canberran was seeking to become the first Australian man to reach the final four in Flushing Meadows since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005. But the 6-foot-6 Khachanov, appearing in the third Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career (2019 Roland Garros, 2021 Wimbledon), stood tall, improving to 2-1 against Kyrgios in career head-to-heads.

“I did it,” said Khachanov, who out-aced Kyrgios on the night, 31-30. “It was a crazy match. I was expecting it would be like this. I was ready to run, to fight, to play five sets. We played for almost four hours [3:39]. That’s the only way to beat Nick, I think.”