After all, in 33 previous Grand Slam appearances, the sky-high South African (he’s 6-foot-8) had only once ventured beyond the fourth round.

Kevin Anderson circa 2018 is a whole different beast. In July, the 32-year-old reached his second major final at Wimbledon, showing some staying power with 13-11-in-the-fifth and 26-24-in-the-fifth victories over Roger Federer and John Isner, respectively. 

Aiming for a return to the title match at the US Open in 2018, the former University of Illinois standout arrived in Flushing Meadows with a career-best ranking of No. 5, his expectations — and ours — at an all-time high. His second-week successes are no longer surprises.

On Wednesday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Anderson took another step toward a return to the final, dispatching 46th-ranked Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4, in one hour and 55 minutes on Court 17.

“It was pretty hot out here today. The ball was flying around a bit,” said Anderson, who improved to 35-13 on the year. “The last game was obviously a little tricky, but overall, I played a great match. It’s always tough playing Jeremy. He’s a great friend of mine.”

Anderson lost just six points on his serve in the 30-minute first set, converting breaks in the third and seventh games. The fifth seed jumped ahead in the second, too, breaking his opponent to open the set.

The James Davidson-coached Chardy, who rose to a career-high No. 25 in 2013 after reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals, couldn’t work his way back into the match in the third. Serving at 2-all, 30-40, he could only watch as an Anderson backhand approach sailed past him for the break. 

Anderson would need six match points to close it out, but fittingly ended it with a concussive ace, one of 17 on the afternoon.

Anderson will now face Denis Shapovalov of Canada who in his turn beat Andreas Seppi of Italy on Court 5.

- US Open