ATP Tour

Michelsen exploits Tien's 42 errors; Khachanov beats Ruud in Toronto

Alex Michelsen brushed aside his good friendship with Learner Tien on Saturday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers to tick off another milestone in his fledgling career.

In a battle between the two youngest Americans in the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings, the 20-year-old Michelsen delivered a diligent 80-minute performance to triumph 6-3, 6-3 in Toronto. Despite letting slip a break lead at 1-0 in the second set, Michelsen ultimately capitalised on Tien’s 42 unforced errors to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

A breakthrough moment 🔑

Alex Michelsen delivers a poised performance to reach the elite eight at a Masters 1000 event for the first time! @NBOtoronto | #NBO25 pic.twitter.com/hPNVUxOIcb

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 2, 2025

“It feels really good, it’s uncharted territory from this point on,” said Michelsen. “We’re very close friends, we’ve been texting and sending each other memes as normal… We’ve grown a lot together: From playing not so good to the round of 16 at a Masters together, it’s super special.

“He was going after my forehand and I was going after his. The speed of the court was very fast, there were a lot of shanks, a lot of net cords. I hit my forehand super well today and I knew that if I didn’t I would be in trouble.”

Both were competing in the fourth round at this level for the first time, but it was Michelsen who successfully executed his strategy and dictated play from the baseline. Despite breaking Michelsen for the first time at 0-1 in the second set, Tien was unable to shake off the errors, including two crucial double faults to drop serve in the final game of the clash.

With his run to his 15th and biggest ATP Tour quarter-final, which includes a third-round win over third seed Lorenzo Musetti, Michelsen is up one spot to No. 33 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, just three spots shy of his career-high No. 30.

Michelsen next faces two-time semi-finalist in Canada, Karen Khachanov, who overcame a late wobble to beat eighth seed Casper Ruud 6-4, 7-5 and record his first Lexus ATP Head2Head win against the Norwegian (1-2).

{{player.PlayerFirstName}} {{player.PlayerLastName}}

{{player.PlayerCountryCode}}

{{player.PlayerLastName}}

{{player.PartnerLastName}}

{{player.Record}}

Vs
wins

{{opponent.Record}}

Show H2H Detail

{{opponent.PlayerFirstName}} {{opponent.PlayerLastName}}

{{opponent.PlayerCountryCode}}

{{ opponent.PlayerLastName }}

{{opponent.PartnerLastName}}

• {{player.Ranking}} Rank {{opponent.Ranking}}
• {{player.Age ? player.Age : '-'}} Age {{opponent.Age ? opponent.Age : '-'}}

Ruud rallied from 2-4 in the second set and then saved three consecutive break points at 4-4 to spark hopes of a comeback, but Khachanov regrouped in clinical fashion to earn a statement win. The 29-year-old dropped just one of 30 first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to reaching his 10th ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

“I had nothing to complain about until this point,” Khachanov said about his lapse in concentration in the second set. “My game plan was working, especially with the first serves. The first serves in was not a high percentage, but the points won was quite high.

“I guess [there were] a little bit of nerves. It became difficult but I’m super glad I was able to pull through, break him one more time and finish the match.”

Watch Khachanov defeat Ruud to reach Toronto QFs

By defeating the World No. 13 Ruud in one hour, 33 minutes, Khachanov snapped an 11-match losing streak against Top 20 opponents. He now owns a 14-6 record at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event, his second-most successful tournament at that level after Paris (16 wins).

The 2022 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up, Ruud leaves Toronto 10th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. However, he may slip further with 11th-placed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and 14th-placed Holger Rune still alive in Canada.