BEIJING (AP) — Karen Khachanov, a semifinalist at the U.S. Open, secured a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Félix Auger-Aliassime in the first round of the China Open tennis tournament on Wednesday. This win adds to Khachanov's recent success against Auger-Aliassime, having previously defeated him in four sets during the second round at Flushing Meadows, where Khachanov eventually reached the semifinals before losing to Alexander Zverev, the eventual champion.
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In their latest match, Khachanov capitalized on a single service break in the first set, aided by 11 unforced errors from Auger-Aliassime. In the second set, Khachanov broke Auger-Aliassime's serve twice, once in the third game and again in the final game, winning four consecutive points.
Just ten days prior, Auger-Aliassime played a key role in leading Canada to a 3-1 victory over France in Quebec City, securing a spot for Canada in the Davis Cup Final 8 scheduled for Bologna, Italy from November 24-29.
In other matches at the China Open, sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic was slated to play Nuno Borges in a night match. Djokovic, 39, boasts an undefeated 29-0 record at the China Open and has won the Beijing tournament six times, with his last title win occurring in 2015.