ATP Tour

Khachanov returns to Toronto SFs after gaining Michelsen revenge

Karen Khachanov is through to the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers semi-finals for the third time following a 6-4, 7-6(3) win against Alex Michelsen on Monday evening. The 11th seed, who reached that stage at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 in 2018 and 2019, is the seventh man to reach three or more semis at the event this century.

The 29-year-old has matched his deepest tournament runs of the 2025 season after advancing to the last four in Barcelona and Halle. He will next face top seed Alexander Zverev as he bids to reach his second career Masters 1000 final; he won the Rolex Paris Masters title in 2018.

"Very close, very competitive match," Khachanov assessed. "I had some advantages, then all of a sudden I was down and I was facing a set point on my serve. I served well, two serves.

"Those are the moments, always in a tennis match, you try to overcome... How you come out mentally from this situation is very important, so I'm really happy and proud that I was able to to close it out in the second set at the end."

After both players escaped 0/40 in a dramatic second set, Khachanov saved two set points at 4-5 with big serves and won the final five points of the tie-break by expertly combining aggression and consistency down the stretch. The victory levels the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 1-1, earning Khachanov a measure of revenge after his straight-sets loss in the Australian Open third round.

"The conditions are different in Australia... Different balls, different surface, the ball sliding more through the air," said the 11th seed, who neutralised Michelsen's big backhand by attacking that wing with his own backhand. "So maybe I was playing with less spin, more flatter, trying not to give him opportunities to step inside the court and attack. That's what I did really well today."

A total of 18 break points were on offer in the Toronto evening showdown, with Khachanov saving six of seven and Michelsen fighting off nine of 11, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Khachanov dominated on first serve, winning 85 per cent (40/47) of his points behind his first delivery.

Up three places to No. 13 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Khachanov would re-enter the Top 10 with the title. He is 8-1 in his past nine matches, dating back to the start of his Wimbledon quarter-final run.

The 20-year-old Michelsen was competing in the first Masters 1000 quarter-final of his career but was denied his seventh and biggest ATP Tour semi-final.