ATP Felix Auger Aliassime US Open 2026 Karen Khachanov

Auger-Aliassime, who was defending his semifinal spot, falls in the second round of the US Open

Fernando Murciego - 3 Sep 2026
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Hard blow for Auger-Aliassime: falls in the second round and bids farewell to the points he was defending. Source: Getty

Félix Auger-Aliassime has suffered one of the biggest blows of this US Open 2026. The Canadian, the tournament's third seed and world number 4 before the competition began, was eliminated in the second round after losing to Karen Khachanov 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, and 6-2. A particularly painful defeat considering he reached the semifinals in New York last year and was defending a significant number of points.

The match started in the best possible way for Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian took a very close first set in the tie-break and seemed to have taken the initiative against a Khachanov who entered as the number 50 in the rankings. However, from that point on, the match completely changed direction. The Russian elevated his level, found greater depth from the baseline, and strung together four consecutive sets to complete a resounding comeback.

The elimination also has significant consequences for the world ranking. Auger-Aliassime will not be able to repeat the points from his semifinals in 2025 and will lose a considerable amount of points by finishing his participation much earlier than expected. In fact, the Canadian could drop out of the top 5 when the rankings are updated after the tournament.

The contrast is particularly striking after the spectacular progress he made over the last twelve months. Before the US Open, Auger-Aliassime was ranked fourth in the world after climbing positions significantly, but New York represented a tough test precisely due to the number of points he had to defend.

Therefore, this result means much more than a premature defeat for the player from Montreal. After breaking into the top five in the world, he will now have to face the coming weeks with the added pressure of defending his position in the elite, although that mission will no longer depend on him.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Auger-Aliassime, que defendía semifinales, cae de costillas en segunda ronda del US Open