NEW YORK — Unseeded Karen Khachanov upset ailing third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round of the U.S. Open on Thursday, while top seed Alexander Zverev needed five sets again and a cluster of former women’s champions marched into the third round at Flushing Meadows.
Khachanov beat Auger-Aliassime 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, according to AFP. The 26-year-old Canadian, a two-time Flushing Meadows semifinalist, eked out the opening tiebreak before a rash of unforced errors and sudden physical trouble undid him. He finished with 47 unforced errors to Khachanov’s 30. Auger-Aliassime said afterward that after a set and a half he felt dizzy, was seeing spots and could not recover, describing the episode as abnormal and saying he would seek medical tests rather than retire mid-match.
The Canadian entered New York without a coach after splitting with Frederic Fontang in July and had withdrawn from the Rogers Cup with a back injury after quarterfinal runs at the French Open and Wimbledon. Khachanov, ranked No. 50 — his lowest since 2017 — reached the third round of all three earlier majors in 2026 despite a recent skid that included three straight first-round losses at U.S. Open hard-court warmups.
Overnight, Zverev labored until 2:15 a.m. Friday to defeat Quentin Halys 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 6-3 in 4 hours 33 minutes, AFP reported, after another five-setter in round one. On the women’s side, Coco Gauff beat Paula Badosa 6-4, 7-6 (5); Iga Swiatek defeated Nadia Podoroska 6-3, 6-2; Naomi Osaka outlasted Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1; Elena Rybakina and Mirra Andreeva also advanced in straight sets. Novak Djokovic, the No. 4 seed, had already fallen in the first round.
