ATP roundup: Karen Khachanov grabs much-needed win in Zhuhai

 

[September 23, 2023]  Top seed Karen Khachanov of Russia defeated Australian qualifier Alex Bolt 6-4, 6-4 to earn his first ATP Tour win since June at the Zhuhai Championships on Friday in China.

Khachanov has only played in one other event since suffering a stress fracture in his back at the French Open. After getting a bye into the Round of 16 in Zhuhai as the No. 1 seed, he saved all 10 break points he faced to dispatch Bolt in an hour and 50 minutes.

He will face sixth-seeded American Mackenzie McDonald in the quarterfinals after McDonald rallied past Belgium's Kimmer Coppejans 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

No. 8 seed Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan got past South African Lloyd Harris 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), and No. 3 seed Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany outlasted Chile's Cristian Garin 6-3, 1-6, 6-4. Nishioka and Struff will meet in the quarters.

Chengdu Open

Russia's Roman Safiullin upset No. 4 seed Daniel Evans of Great Britain 6-3, 6-3 elsewhere in China.

Evans had a 6-5 edge in aces but also committed five double faults to Safiullin's two. Safiullin converted four of six break-point opportunities while saving three of the four break points he faced.

Safiullin will face Australia's Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals. Thompson was a 6-1, 7-6 (1) winner over Serbia's Dusan Lajovic.

Another Australian, Christopher O'Connell, advanced past Japan's Taro Daniel 7-6 (10), 6-4. O'Connell fell behind 5-2 in the first-set tiebreaker and saved four set points before scoring the last three points of the tiebreaker to take control from Daniel.

Laver Cup

The United States' Ben Shelton won his singles match and the U.S. duo of Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe won their doubles match to help Team World take a 4-0 lead over Team Europe after the first day of the Laver Cup in Vancouver.

Shelton defeated France's Arthur Fils 7-6 (4), 6-1, and Paul and Tiafoe got past Russia's Andrey Rublev and Fils 6-3, 4-6, 10-6. The final set of matches that go the distance is an extended tiebreaker.

In the day's other action, Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo downed Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-5, and Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime topped France's Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-3.

The three-day event pits a team of European players, captained by Bjorn Borg, against a squad of non-European players, captained by John McEnroe. Each day will include three singles matches and one doubles match.

Victories on Friday were worth one point apiece, with the value increasing to two points on Saturday and three points on Sunday. The first team to 13 points wins. If the teams are tied 12-12, a deciding doubles match will be held.

--Field Level Media

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