Khachanov upsets Auger-Aliassime for second time this year

Earlier this month, Karen Khachanov stunned No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round of the U.S. Open, then rode the upset to another semifinal run at the majors. Halfway around the world and less than a month later, history repeated itself on Day 1 at the China Open.

Khachanov defeated second-seeded Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday in the opening round of the ATP 500 event. 

“I am playing good tennis, so of course I’m happy about it,” Khachanov said. “I just want to keep going.” 

Khachanov will face either Slovakia’s Alex Molcan or France’s Arthur Rinderknech in the Round of 16. 

From the start, Khachanov played with a poise and control that Auger-Aliassime could not match. The Canadian struggled to find his rhythm, piling up 25 unforced errors as Khachanov capitalized on nearly every opening.

Khachanov broke Auger-Aliassime in the second game of the match and opened up a 3-0 lead before the Canadian was on the scoreboard. 

Chants of “let’s go, Felix, let’s go” echoed through the Diamond Court between points as fans attempted to encourage Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian recorded two of his nine aces to make it 3-1, but more miscues doomed any comeback chance. He finished with 11 unforced errors in the first set. 

Auger-Aliassime started the second set strong, firing down an ace on his first serve, but Khachanov rattled off the next three games to take further command of the match. Khachanov finished with a first serve percentage of 73% and converted 91% of his first-serve points. 

“I think I served well, took chances on his second serve,” Khachanov said. “From the baseline, I was feeling like I am solid and I am dominating whenever I need to.”

By Isabel Kirkwood