-Montreal, Quebec
Karen Khachanov spoiled the party in Montreal on Thursday afternoon. Not only did he defeat Montreal native Felix Auger-Aliassime at his home tournament, he sent him home on his birthday no less.
Khachanov and Auger-Aliassime played a two hour 50 minute entertaining three setter on Court Central in the 3rd Round of the Rogers Cup and it was the 22-year old Russian who got the better of the 19-year old Canadian 6-7 (7-9), 7-5, 6-3.
It wasn’t the cleanest of matches between the two opponents. Both players combining for 98 unforced errors as opposed to just 53 winners. 12 of Auger-Aliassime’s 52 mistakes were double faults, something that has plagued the teenager in matches of late.
The crowd was understandably very pro Auger-Aliassime but at times they got a little too carried away. Fans began shouting “out” on a couple of occasions when a Khachanov ball appeared close to the baseline. The World No. 8 got somewhat agitated and chair umpire Mohammed Lahyani had to ask the crowd to be respectful to both players.
Khachanov who has won four career ATP titles, had a chance to take the opening set on several occasions. He served for the opener up 5-4 but was quickly broken after making three of his 23 errors in the set. He then lead 6-4 in the tiebreak but couldn’t convert either of his set points. After missing a forehand to go down 8-7 in the breaker, Khachanov whacked a ball entirely out of the stadium in frustration and received a warning from Lahyani. Auger-Aliassime hammered a big serve a short time later and the set was his.
In the second set, Auger-Aliassime looked to be building momentum breaking Khachanov in the opening game and then quickly holding serve at Love to go up 2-0.
However, the Canadian couldn’t contain the lead. Auger-Aliassime was broken in three straight service games which again gave Khachanov a chance to serve out the set. But he couldn’t do it, as he was broken at Love.
Three games later he did get the job done. A double fault and a pair of forehands including one that went long on set point evened up the match for the No. 6 seed.
The difference in the third set came in the fourth game. With Auger-Aliassime beginning to look tired Khachanov gave himself two break point chances in the game. He converted the second after Auger-Aliassime sent a backhand long. That gave the Russian a 3-1 lead. Despite the Canadian crowd urging their player on, Khachanov was unfazed and wasn’t really challenged in his final service games. He finished things off with a big serve down the middle and sent the pro Auger-Aliassime crowd home disappointed.
“I’m happy. I have to stay proud of what I’ve done,” said the birthday boy. “For sure frustrated because it was a big occasion. There was a lot of expectations, pressure, you name it. I think I handled that well. But to be playing in the end good and to lead in a match, to have a chance to win… It’s tough to see it slip away, but there’s reason for that. It just means that I still have things to improve to win these type of matches and to deal better with these type of moments.”
“It was rollercoaster match. Sometimes it’s called winning ugly,” said Khachanov. I think of the conditions and everything, it was completely different comparing when I played against Stan yesterday. I think it was really a competitive match from both of us. Felix is a great player, as I said many times before.”
At the end of the match as the players shook hands, the TV microphones picked up the Russian saying “Sorry” to his opponent. It was a moment Khachanov explained after the match to the Press.
“I didn’t have anything against him, so I just said sorry like in terms if he felt that I was going against him, that I was not polite to him. I just said sorry so he doesn’t think it was against him. I just explain him that it was the crowd. I don’t have anything against when they cheer for Felix. It’s normal. He’s home favorite, especially from Montreal. I wish they could cheer the same way in Russia for me (smiling). But still, you know, not when I miss or not wishing me to miss, screaming during the points, Out. I think it’s unrespectful. I just got crazy. On the other side, I provoke the crowd, and that gave me also some kind of energy, as well.”
@Sportshorn
