Casper Ruud books place in US Open final by battling past Karen Khachanov

• Norwegian wins men's semi-final 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 5-7 6-2
• Ruud into his second grand slam final of the season

Just over a year ago, after Casper Ruud navigated a tidy straight-sets win at a tournament in Toronto, he decided to have a little bit of fun. Handed a marker to sign the television camera, he opted to write a simple message: hard courts". He signed it off with a smiley face.

His point was clear. He had heard all of the criticisms of his abilities on the surface loud and clear, the way that people questioned and underestimated him, but he took them with a smile. He was still working hard, hopeful that he would continue to improve with time.