World No. 50 Karen Khachanov upset third-seeded Félix Auger-Aliassime 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round at the US Open on Thursday, according to the ATP Tour. The victory marked Khachanov's first top-10 win of 2026 and improved his head-to-head record against the Canadian to 3-2.
How did Khachanov break through after a difficult stretch?
Khachanov arrived in New York having lost all three hard-court matches since his third-round exit at Wimbledon in July. The 30-year-old, competing at No. 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings, played a dominant baseline game and took advantage of an inconsistent performance from Auger-Aliassime to advance to at least the third round at all four majors this year. Khachanov is 18-18 on the season.
What went wrong for Auger-Aliassime?
Auger-Aliassime struggled with timing and precision throughout the three-hour, 16-minute match on Louis Armstrong Stadium. The Canadian sprayed 47 unforced errors and won just 41 per cent of points behind his second serve, fading quickly after dropping the second set. After reaching the semi-finals at the US Open 12 months ago, Auger-Aliassime is likely to fall in the ATP rankings, with Flavio Cobolli, Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton, and Alex de Minaur all still in contention for top-10 positions.
Khachanov acknowledged the difficulty of Auger-Aliassime's performance in his on-court interview, saying he was unsure whether the Canadian had physical issues but hoped for a speedy recovery if injured.
Sources
- ATP Tour: Karen Khachanov defeats third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime at the US Open. Sam Jacot, 2026-09-03.
Reported from public sources.