Having sustained a stress fracture in his back en route to the French Open quarterfinals, the two-time Major semifinalist secured a first ATP title since 2018 after enduring a forgettable few months rehabbing from an issue that saw him miss Wimbledon and ice his aspirations for another deep US Open run.
Khachanov dedicates ‘special’ win to growing family
Karen Khachanov justified his standing as the tournament’s top seed in Zhuhai, securing his first ATP singles title in five years with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 win over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka earlier this week.
Much like compatriot and friend Andrey Rublev, the 27-year-old will hope this long-awaited silverware kickstarts better form to finish a memorable individual campaign that has him fighting for an unlikely spot in the season-ending ATP Finals.
US Open champion Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon titlist Carlos Alcaraz and former world no. 1 Daniil Medvedev have already qualified for the Turin showpiece event in mid-November, though five spots still remain.
Wimbledon semifinalist Jannik Sinner is closest, though there is a free-for-all below him as many players have struggled to maintain year-long consistency.
It could’ve been a completely different final entirely, as Khachanov was two points from dropping the first set when serving at 4-5, 15-30. Again he faced pressure and excelled in the subsequent tiebreak, winning six straight points to clinch it.
That has been a criticism of the Russian in the past, his seeming inability to mix it up and have a solid plan B when things aren’t working well as far as outlasting opponents in gruelling baseline rally exchanges are concerned.
His first title since the 2018 Paris Masters, where he toppled four top-10 players – including Djokovic in the final – it felt fitting given how much trouble he put the Serb under during their most recent battle at Roland Garros.
Khachanov hadn’t played since then, up until his short-lived US Open return was ended in a first-round defeat by home hopeful Michael Mmoh, and judging by his comments didn’t expect to get all the way in a deceptively strong ATP 250 event here.
The 27-year-old’s maiden triumph on tour came in China, where he won the Chengdu 250-level tournament seven years ago. The significance of that achievement was not lost on him during the post-match ceremony, as he said:
“I’m coming back from an injury.
When coming here, I was hoping to get matches to start playing again, was very hungry to come back and win the title after quite a few years again, here in China especially, it’s really special and for my family.”
Khachanov became a father for the second time in July, when his wife Veronika gave birth to their second son, Mikael. Naturally, the new dad will be target ending his season with a flourish starting against Lorenzo Musetti in Beijing overnight.
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes hyperlinked
Mo and Sports 