8 things you should know about Kevin Anderson
Cape Town - South African Kevin Anderson moved into his first Grand Slam semifinal after beating Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-3, 7-6 (7) at the US Open on Wednesday.
Here are some facts about Anderson, SA's highest ranked tennis player since Wayne Ferreira (remember him?).
* Anderson was born in Joburg and began playing tennis at the age of 6.
* The 28th-seeded Anderson is appearing in his 34th major tournament and is now 31 years old.
* At the young age of 17, Anderson entered his first professional tournament, where he won four main-draw matches and earned a world ranking of No. 1178.
* The big serving South African is 2.03 metres tall.
* Anderson met his wife Kelsey, an American, while at the University of Illinois where Kelsey, who is now a qualified accountant, was on the golf team. After marrying in 2011, Kelsey put her career on hold to follow her husband on tour. “I manage his bookkeeping and I will deal with flights and hotel bookings,” she said in a recent interview. “We all do our part, and I’d like to think I have an important role on the team in taking some pressure off him. We do our best just so that he can focus on the game.”
* Kevin and Kelsey also co-founded RealLifeTennis, a service which offers online tennis instruction. As well as drills and advice, it also includes “Tour Wife Tales”, a blog Kelsey has written about life on the tennis tour, which has been well received, especially by the players.
* Anderson's current ATP singles ranking stands at 32.
* In Friday's semifinal, Anderson will take on 12th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain. The winner of that match will reach his first Grand Slam final. "This is new ground for both of us," Anderson said. "There will be adjustments we'll both have to make."