Felix Claws Past Khachanov In Cincinnati Marathon
Payback was sweet for Felix Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday at the Western & Southern Open.
Two years after losing a three-set heartbreaker against Karen Khachanov at his home ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal, the #NextGenATP Canadian clawed past the Tokyo Olympics singles silver medalist 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round in Cincinnati. Auger-Aliassime will next play close friend Matteo Berrettini, the fifth seed.
[FOLLOW 1000]Khachanov has been in great form in recent weeks, reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals and advancing to the final in Tokyo. Despite getting outplayed by Auger-Aliassime for large portions of Wednesday’s clash, he battled hard to stay in contact with the 21-year-old.
But Felix kept chipping away. Despite letting slip 10 of his 13 break points, the eight-time ATP Tour finalist continued to play aggressive tennis and rely on his serve to cruise through his service games.
Auger-Aliassime hit 39 winners — including 14 aces — to advance after a gruelling two hours and 53 minutes when Khachanov missed a final forehand. The World No. 17 will now try to earn his first victory against Berrettini, who leads their ATP Head2Head series 2-0.