Canada’s Dabrowski, Brazil’s Stefani fall in U.S. Open women’s doubles semifinals

At the US Open on Wednesday, Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov advanced to the semi-finals after Belgian opponent Alexander Blockx retired due to an injury. Khachanov, currently ranked 50th in the world, made history as the first unseeded player to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since 2018. This marks his third Grand Slam semi-final appearance, having previously reached the quarter-finals at the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Australian Open.

To reach the quarter-finals, Khachanov defeated third-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and 14th-seeded American Learner Tien. He faced Blockx, who was already suffering from various injuries, including a rib injury. Khachanov commented that Blockx appeared to be in significant pain throughout their match. The Belgian player had announced his intention to retire due to the rib injury during his fourth-round win against Francisco Cerundolo.

On Wednesday, Khachanov had to take medical timeouts to address treatment for a foot injury and a lower back issue that hindered him during the match. Khachanov will now advance to face either top-seeded Alexander Zverev or Dutch veteran Botic van de Zandschulp for a spot in the final.