Félix Auger-Aliassime's US Open campaign ended in the second round on Thursday evening, falling to Karen Khachanov 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. The Canadian had reached the semi-finals a year earlier, but this year's exit comes at a significant cost to his ranking trajectory.
What went wrong for Auger-Aliassime
Auger-Aliassime's second serve proved his undoing, winning only 41 per cent of points behind it, compared to Khachanov's 61 per cent. The Canadian faced 20 break points in the match and saved 13, but Khachanov converted seven breaks across the final three sets. Auger-Aliassime also compiled 47 unforced errors to Khachanov's 30 and served eight double faults to four, despite hitting more winners overall (43 to 37) and winning 20 of 29 points at the net.
Ranking implications for the Canadian
The defeat costs Auger-Aliassime 750 ranking points—the difference between a semi-final appearance (800 points) and a second-round exit (50 points). According to Tennis Majors, this drop threatens his hold on the world No. 4 position, particularly since rivals including Flavio Cobolli, Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe all advanced to the third round and remain in contention. Each of them now has an opportunity to narrow the gap without playing another match.
Before the tournament, projections had suggested Auger-Aliassime would comfortably retain fourth place, with only Novak Djokovic positioned as a threat—but Djokovic exited on Sunday.
Khachanov's breakthrough
For Khachanov, ranked No. 50, the victory marks his second win over a top-10 player at a Grand Slam. Auger-Aliassime had needed four sets to dispatch Australian Rinky Hijikata in the first round, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Sources
- Tennis Majors: Auger-Aliassime out in the second round, and Khachanov ends a seven-year wait. Published 2026-09-03.