U.S. Open QF preview and prediction: Blockx vs. Khachanov

Nobody could have predicted a U.S. Open quarterfinal matchup between Alexander Blockx and Karen Khachanov when this tournament began.

Blockx should be a staple of the late stages of Grand Slams as his career progresses and Khachanov was already a six-time slam quarterfinalist (and two-time semifinalist) prior to this fortnight, but there was no reason to think that it would happen for either man this year in New York. Blockx had won just a single main-draw match at a major heading into the 2026 U.S. Open, while Khachanov’s season record stood at 16-18.

Alas, both players have made improbable runs to the last eight.

Blockx had no trouble through his first three rounds. But after disposing of Marcelo Tomas Berrios Vera, Marco Trungelliti, and Flavio Cobolli, the 21-year-old Belgian battled through a tight four-setter against Francisco Cerundolo on Monday afternoon and was clearly less than 100 percent for basically the entire match. Blockx dealt with some kind of upper-body injury in addition to a wrist issue, even admitting afterward that he would have retired if he had lost the third set.

Khachanov is into the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for the second time after reaching the semis in 2023. The 30-year-old Russian had been struggling in 2026, but he has turned things around with victories at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center over Roman Andres Burruchaga, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Benjamin Bonzi, and Learner Tien. Khachanov survived a five-set thriller against Tien on Monday night, but he looked fine physically after conserving energy by winning his first three matches in swift fashion.

This simply is not a good setup for Blockx. There is no reason to think that his injury problems will evaporate with only one day off, plus Khachanov owns a massive edge in experience. Even if Blockx manages to complete this match, it probably won’t go his way.

Pick: Khachanov in 4

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