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Khachanov stuns Auger-Aliassime
Karen Khachanov upset Felix Auger-Aliassime in the U.S. Open second round on Louis Armstrong Stadium, winning 6-7(5) 6-3 6-2 6-2 to reach the third round.
“Karen Khachanov stunned third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-7(5) 6-3 6-2 6-2”
Reuters said Khachanov, the Russian world number 50, capitalised as the 2025 semi-finalist struggled to deliver his best tennis, with the match played on Thursday.
The New York Times reported Auger-Aliassime, the No. 3 seed, began to experience physical issues halfway through the second set and couldn’t recover.
Auger-Aliassime’s first-set tiebreak win did not prevent Khachanov from taking control after the opening set, as the Canadian dropped the next three sets 3-6, 2-6, 3-6.
The ATP Tour match report also placed the turning point on Auger-Aliassime’s second serve, noting he won just 41 per cent of points behind that delivery while Khachanov won 61 per cent of his, 38 of 62.
Dizzy, seeing spots
After the loss, Auger-Aliassime described the physical problem in his own words, telling the ATP Tour: “It's tough to talk about anything other than how I felt physically. After a set and a half, I just couldn't feel well and was dizzy and seeing spots and couldn't recover,”
The New York Times added that Auger-Aliassime said he will undergo testing and described the episode as abnormal, saying: “This was abnormal a little bit, and there were no signs in the last couple of days and no signs this morning.”
Khachanov, speaking during his on-court interview, said he saw “maybe he had some physical issues ... it's part of our sport,” and wished him “feel better, speedy recovery if he's injured, I don't know.”
Reuters reported Khachanov broke Auger-Aliassime’s serve seven times and saved seven of the nine break points he faced en route to his second top-10 win at a Grand Slam.
The ATP Tour match report said Auger-Aliassime had 47 unforced errors to 30 and served eight double faults to four, while Khachanov served harder and won 20 of his 29 points at the net.
Ranking points and next test
The defeat ended Auger-Aliassime’s run in the second round and cost him 750 ranking points, with Tennis Majors writing that “The 750 ranking points that go with the difference will be felt long after the fortnight ends.”
“The 750 ranking points that go with the difference will be felt long after the fortnight ends.”
Tennis Majors also said a semi-final is worth 800 and reaching the round of 64 is worth 50, meaning Auger-Aliassime “therefore surrenders 750 of the points that have held him at World No. 4.”
Reuters said Khachanov will next meet either Benjamin Bonzi or Ignacio Buse in the third round after recording his first win over a top-10 player at a major since 2019.
The ATP Tour report said Auger-Aliassime is likely to fall in the PIF ATP Rankings, with Flavio Cobolli, Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur still alive.
In the same match context, Tennis Majors reported that the men’s draw had lost the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds before the third round, alongside the Cincinnati champion Arthur Fils, the No. 12 seed Rafael Jodar and Brandon Nakashima.