Kevin Anderson's phone began filling up just before 2 a.m., as he walked off the court a four-set winner against Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals of the US Open.

The win sent him into his first Grand Slam semifinal.

"I just heard I'm the first South African in the Open era to get to the semis here. My first, sort of, South African record. I feel pretty proud about that," said Anderson.

Though he resides in the U.S., the 31-year-old is seeing that his run is having a big impact in his home country.

"I have got a ton of messages from friends and family back home," he said, noting that he's also heard from some former tennis players and top golfers from South Africa. "I just breezed through my phone. I saw a message from Wayne Ferreira, which is great. We have chatted quite a bit this year. I saw him in Wimbledon a lot, and he's given me a lot of support in an unofficial way.

"I saw a quick message from Ernie Els, one of the golfing legend[s], [and] Louis Oosthuizen, a couple of golfers I've met just from our location in Florida."

But Anderson would most like to have an effect on younger players.

"My biggest, you know, hope is that I'm able to inspire kids to play the sport. It's very tough coming from South Africa, far from the scene," he said. "It makes me feel good that I can hopefully fly a flag and show kids, especially that if you work hard, you can get there."

Anderson, a former member of the Top 10, is No. 32 in the rankings.