Khachanov Upsets Auger-Aliassime in US Open Shock

Karen Khachanov ripped up the script in New York, sending third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime out of the US Open in the second round and adding another jolt to an already shaken men’s draw.

The Russian, unseeded and unfazed, recovered from a tight first-set loss to overpower the Canadian 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 6-2 and book his place in the third round. For a player who has twice reached the final at Flushing Meadows, Auger-Aliassime’s exit felt abrupt. The manner of it even more so.

He started like a man intent on restoring order. The opening set was tense, edgy, decided by inches and nerve. Auger-Aliassime clung on in the rallies, rode out Khachanov’s early aggression and edged the tie-break 7-5, looking composed and in control.

Then the match turned.

The errors crept in first. A forehand dragged wide here, a backhand floated long there. What began as the odd misfire soon became a pattern. Khachanov sensed it immediately. He pinned the Canadian behind the baseline, stepped into the court and began unloading down-the-line winners that cut through the night air and, slowly, through Auger-Aliassime’s resistance.

The second set swung on that shift in rhythm. Khachanov tightened his game, trimmed his mistakes and forced the rallies on his terms. A single break was enough for 6-3, but the momentum swing felt heavier than the scoreline suggested.

From there, the pressure told.

Auger-Aliassime’s level dropped sharply. The serve that had carried him through so many tight moments this season lost its bite, and with it went his authority in the rallies. Khachanov, now dictating almost every exchange, ran away with the third set 6-2, hammering winners and dragging his opponent into uncomfortable positions.

By the fourth, the contest resembled a procession. The Canadian, who had reached the quarter-finals at both Wimbledon and Roland Garros this year, struggled to find any spark. His unforced errors piled up. Khachanov kept driving the ball into the corners, especially with those piercing shots down the line that had defined the turnaround.

Another 6-2 set sealed it, the upset complete.

Auger-Aliassime’s defeat comes hot on the heels of fourth seed and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic’s shock first-round exit, leaving the men’s field stripped of two of its biggest names before the tournament has truly settled into rhythm.

Khachanov, 30, acknowledged that something was not quite right on the other side of the net.

“Maybe he had some physical issues,” he said. “It’s part of our sport, it’s part of tennis. I’m super happy to get this win.”

There is context to that hint. The Canadian withdrew from the Rogers Cup in Montreal in August with a back injury, a blow that interrupted a season which had been gathering real momentum. His Grand Slam results in 2024 suggested a player ready to contend deep into the second week in New York. Instead, he leaves early, beaten not by the occasion, but by a sharper, stronger opponent on the night.

For Khachanov, this is the kind of victory that can ignite a campaign. For the US Open, it is another reminder that reputations mean little once the lights go up and the rallies start.