Khachanov Floors Fading Auger-Aliassime In US OPEN Shock

• World No 50 Karen Khachanov beats Felix Auger-Aliassime in four after losing the opener
• Russian reaches US OPEN third round; completes third-round runs at all four Slams this year
• Auger-Aliassime, the highest-ranked seed to fall so far, broken seven times on Louis Armstrong

That’s a proper bolt from the blue in New York. Karen Khachanov outlasted Felix Auger-Aliassime to win 6-7(5) 6-3 6-2 6-2, a result that sends last year’s semi-finalist packing and blows open a quarter of the draw many fancied him to boss.

If you were flicking between the tennis and our best football betting sites, you’ll have clocked this as the day’s standout upset. Khachanov, ranked 50 in the world and hardly purring in his US OPEN tune-ups, dug in like a seasoned pro as Auger-Aliassime’s intensity dipped after a sharp start.

Khachanov Turns The Screw After An Edgy Opener

Auger-Aliassime flew out to 3-0 and looked set to boss the first set, but errors crept in and Khachanov steadied. The Canadian nicked the tie-break, yet the pattern had shifted: from there the Russian took control of the baseline, reading the serve and bullying the rallies.

In set two Khachanov burst 3-0 ahead and coolly served it out from 15-40. He cruised through the third, breaking at love to 4-1, and by the fourth he was rampant, leaping to 4-0 as Auger-Aliassime’s legs looked heavy. On Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Russian finished with a thumping first serve the Canadian couldn’t lay a racket on.

Numbers, Narrative, And What’s Next

This was clinical stuff: seven breaks of the Auger-Aliassime serve and seven of nine break points saved under pressure. It also means Khachanov has now made the third round at all four GRAND SLAMS in the same season for the first time—a neat marker of consistency from a 2022 New York semi-finalist.

Khachanov hinted afterwards that his opponent wasn’t moving freely, but you still have to handle the moment, and he did just that—big swings, big shoulders, no drama. For Auger-Aliassime, tipped as a genuine title outsider, this is a hard one to swallow after such a bright opening.

Next up for Khachanov is Benjamin Bonzi or 32nd seed Ignacio Buse. On this evidence, the Russian’s power game is humming again—and in a wide-open men’s field, that makes him a very awkward out for anybody.

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