Lingering injuries force Blockx to retire from US Open as Khachanov advances

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/khachanov-karen/4bNPtZT5/"]Khachanov[/a], currently ranked 50th in the world, entered the tournament unseeded at a Grand Slam for the first time since Wimbledon in 2018.[/p][p]But he is in his third Grand Slam semi-final after making it to the last four at the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Australian Open.[/p][p]He will face either top-seeded [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zverev-alexander/dGbUhw9m/"]Alexander Zverev[/a] or Dutch veteran [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-de-zandschulp-botic/YwiLpILD/"]Botic van de Zandschulp[/a] for a place in the final.[/p][embed guid="5d2eda20-15f8-4f73-99f1-770b0ad8cbb9" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC6GRK5Pg70" social-type="youtube" /][p]Khachanov's run to the quarters had featured wins over third-seeded Canadian [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/auger-aliassime-felix/CzXh4LAb/"]Felix Auger-Aliassime[/a] and rising US talent Learner Tien, seeded 14th.[/p][p]In Blockx, he faced an opponent who was already battling injuries coming in.[/p][p][b]"I really saw that he was suffering all over his body,"[/b] Khachanov said.[/p][p]Blockx, the first Belgian man to reach the US Open quarters, said he was on the verge of retiring with a rib injury in his fourth-round win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cerundolo-francisco/lWQ3G6gB/"]Francisco Cerundolo[/a].[/p][p]On Wednesday, he had medical timeouts for treatment of his foot and for apparent lower back pain that hindered him throughout.[/p][infobox id="3dc51b3a-107f-482b-9173-a97d347ef1b3" /]