Karen Khachanov defeated Félix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the China Open in Beijing on Wednesday, extending his recent dominance over the Canadian. The victory marked Khachanov's second win over Auger-Aliassime in four weeks, following a four-set triumph at the US Open in early September.
How did Khachanov control the match?
Khachanov played with consistency and capitalised on Auger-Aliassime errors to dominate the encounter. The Russian did not face a break point throughout the match, demonstrating control on his own serve while breaking Auger-Aliassime's delivery twice. With the win, Khachanov improved to 4-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series and recorded his 18th career victory against a Top-10 opponent.
What does the loss mean for Auger-Aliassime's season?
The first-round exit in Beijing has complicated Auger-Aliassime's bid to reach the Nitto ATP Finals for a third consecutive year. According to the ATP Tour, the 26-year-old sits 12th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is likely to drop further as competitors around him continue playing this week in Beijing and Tokyo. Last year, Auger-Aliassime advanced to the semi-finals at the year-end championship.
What comes next for Khachanov?
Khachanov will face either Arthur Rinderknech or qualifier Alex Molcan in the second round. The 30-year-old has recovered significantly in recent weeks, climbing back inside the Top 30 after arriving at the US Open at No. 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings, his lowest position since 2017. Khachanov reached his third major semi-final at the US Open before losing to eventual champion Alexander Zverev, who is the top seed in Beijing.
Sources
- ATP Tour: Karen Khachanov defeats Felix Auger-Aliassime once again to advance in Beijing. Sam Jacot, 2026-09-30.
- Tennis.com: Karen Khachanov vs Félix Auger-Aliassime · Round 1 · ATP Beijing. 2026-09-30.
Reported from public sources.