Khachanov Upsets Third Seed Auger-Aliassime at US Open

The US Open lost another heavyweight on Thursday as third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime crashed out in the second round, beaten by an inspired Karen Khachanov in four sets.

The Russian, unseeded and unfancied on paper, recovered from a slow start to overpower the Canadian 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 6-2, turning what began as a tight contest into a commanding statement win.

For a set, Auger-Aliassime looked in control. He absorbed Khachanov’s early weight of shot, protected his serve under pressure and edged a tense tie-break with some bold hitting at the crucial moments. The third seed’s clean ball-striking and composure suggested a routine path into the third round.

Then the match flipped.

Khachanov raised his level sharply, and Auger-Aliassime simply could not follow. The Russian started to find his range down the lines, drilling winners that pinned the Canadian behind the baseline. At the same time, the unforced errors began to spill from Auger-Aliassime’s racket, the precision that carried him through the opener deserting him in clusters.

The pressure finally told in the second set. Khachanov broke, consolidated, and from there he never really looked back. His forehand, especially, began to dictate rallies, dragging Auger-Aliassime from corner to corner while the Canadian’s footwork and timing looked increasingly laboured.

By the third set, Khachanov was in full flow. The rallies shortened, the scoreline widened. Auger-Aliassime, a two-time finalist at this tournament, struggled to hold serve as Khachanov stepped inside the baseline and attacked second serves with conviction. The Canadian’s error count climbed, his shoulders dropped, and the match started to feel like a procession.

Khachanov, 30, kept his composure and his ruthlessness. He rattled through the third and fourth sets by identical 6-2 scorelines, sealing one of the standout wins of the early rounds.

“Maybe he had some physical issues,” Khachanov said afterwards. “It’s part of our sport, it’s part of tennis. I’m super happy to get this win.”

There may well have been a physical element. Auger-Aliassime arrived in New York with question marks over his fitness after withdrawing from the Rogers Cup in Montreal in August with a back injury. That came despite a strong season in the majors, where he reached the quarter-finals at both Wimbledon and Roland Garros.

Here, though, there was no escape route, no five-set rescue. Once Khachanov locked in, the third seed had no answers.

The result continues a turbulent start to the men’s draw. Auger-Aliassime’s departure follows the shock first-round exit of 24-time Grand Slam champion and fourth seed Novak Djokovic, leaving the top half of the tournament suddenly stripped of two of its biggest names.

Khachanov, unseeded but undaunted, has stepped straight into that vacuum. Now the question is how far this surge of form – and this upset – can carry him through a wide-open US Open.