O'Connell edges past Budkov Kjaer in US Open qualifying

Christopher O'Connell came through the US Open qualifying semifinals with a 7-5 6-4 win over Norway's Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, taking the opening set late and never letting the second slip away. His first serve landed only 53.7 percent of the time, but it barely mattered: he won 80.6 percent of those points and an excellent 64.5 percent behind the second ball, with three aces and not a single double fault. Budkov Kjaer found the court more often at 68.4 percent yet won just 59.6 percent of his first-serve points and 45.8 percent of his second, and three double faults added to the strain. O'Connell moved a step closer to the main draw.