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Khachanov defeats second-seeded Auger-Aliassime at China Open
Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov defeated second-seeded Félix Auger-Aliassime of Canada 6–3, 6–3 in the first round of the China Open in Beijing, advancing to the second round. Khachanov, a recent US Open semifinalist, continued his dominance over the Canadian opponent.
Quick Facts
- First-round tennis match at China Open
- Khachanov defeated Auger-Aliassime
- Khachanov advanced to second round
- Auger-Aliassime led Canada to Davis Cup qualifying victory
- Karen Khachanov (Russia)
Karen Khachanov advanced to the second round of the China Open with a 6–3, 6–3 victory over Canada's Félix Auger-Aliassime in a first-round match played Wednesday in Beijing. The Russian player, who reached the US Open semifinals earlier this month, dominated the match, which lasted 1 hour and 11 minutes.
Khachanov broke Auger-Aliassime's serve in the opening set, aided by 11 unforced errors from his opponent. In the second set, Khachanov broke serve in the third game and again in the final game on four consecutive points to seal the victory. This marks Khachanov's continued success against Auger-Aliassime, whom he also defeated in the second round at the US Open in four sets before advancing to the US Open semifinals, where he lost to eventual champion Alexander Zverev.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded second at the China Open, is ranked fifth in the world. Ten days before this match, he led Canada to a 3–1 victory over France in Davis Cup qualifying at Quebec City, securing Canada's berth in the Davis Cup Final 8, scheduled for November 24–29 in Bologna, Italy.
Khachanov will face the winner of the match between Slovakia's Alex Molchan (qualifier) and France's Arthur Rinderknech in the second round. The China Open, an ATP 500 event held on hard courts in Beijing, features a prize fund exceeding $4 million.
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Why This Matters
Khachanov's advance to the China Open quarterfinals (ATP 500, prize fund exceeding $4 million) extends his recent form following a US Open semifinal run and continued head-to-head dominance over a top-5-ranked opponent. The result affects tournament seeding and qualifying pathways for upcoming hard-court events; Auger-Aliassime's exit narrows Canada's medal contenders in one of the season's final 500-level tournaments before the Davis Cup Final 8 (November 24–29, Bologna).
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WireKhachanov defeats Auger-Aliassime 6–3, 6–3 in first round of China Open