ATP Tour

Khachanov saves 5 MPs in Almaty: 'I am speechless'; Medvedev advances

Karen Khachanov saved five match points on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals at the Almaty Open in dramatic style.

The fifth seed battled past Tomas Machac 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(7), saving four match points on serve at 5-6 and then another one at 6/7 in the third-set tie-break to triumph after two hours and 32 minutes at the ATP 250 event.

“I am speechless," Khachanov said. "I was living through these hard moments but then the relief is there when you win these kinds of hard matches. I was leading at the start of the match but then he increased the level and put a lot of pressure on me. Hitting his spots, playing even more powerful, more precise… I had to really stay there until the end.”

Khachanov has fond memories in Almaty, having lifted the trophy in 2024. The 30-year-old has been in good form since the start of September, reaching the semi-finals at the US Open, the quarter-finals in Beijing and the fourth round in Shanghai.

Khachanov is into his 70th tour-level quarter-final, and first indoors since Paris in 2024, and will next meet third seed Alexander Bublik or Fabian Marozsan.

Defending champion Daniil Medvedev dispatched Japan's Sho Shimabukuro 6-2, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event once again. The top seed, chasing his fourth title of the year, struck 20 winners and committed just nine unforced errors.

Medvedev is aiming for another deep run in Almaty to boost his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes. The 30-year-old is sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, currently 590 points ahead of 10th-placed Alex de Minaur, who is the first player outside the qualification cut. De Minaur is not in action this week.

"I like playing indoors. It was a great match. A great score, great timing. I am happy with my level," Medvedev said following his 52-minute win.

Earlier, Terence Atmane reached his third quarter-final of the year with a 6-7(4), 7-6(2), 7-6(5) win against Mattia Bellucci. The Frenchman Atmane is up nine spots to No. 89 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will next face Medvedev.