Paris Masters: Khachanov rolls over fatigued Dimitrov to make semi-finals

Russian Karen Khachanov won against Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, the No 8 seed, 6-2, 6-3 to move into the last four of Paris Masters at the Accor Arena on Friday evening. It marks Khachanov’s first semi-final at the event since 2018, where was crowned the champion.

It was clear from the outset that Dimitrov’s energy tank was running empty after spending nearly five hours on court during his previous two matches. Against an opponent like the Russian, not feeling 100 percent will not cut it, with Khachanov breaking in both of Dimitrov’s first two service games to lead 4-0. The former champion continued to serve well, backing it up with thunderous groundstrokes against a tiring opponent, claiming the first set 6-2.

In the second set, Dimitrov attempted to put up more of a fight, using his low slices to force the tall Russian into uncomfortable positions and take away his power. However, a costly double fault and a few unforced errors costed the Bulgarian the break at 3-3, and Khachanov rolled from there, breaking Dimitrov once again to claim the second set 6-3.

Overall, Khachanov did not face a single break point in the entire match, and it was Dimitrov’s lack of effectiveness in second serve points won – just 23 percent – that stood in stark comparison to the Russian – who was at an impressive 64 percent.

Khachanov: “big credit to him for finishing the match”

Speaking after the win, the victor said:

“I started really strong, sharp from the baseline game. I tried to put pressure from the beginning, actually, I was able to break him in the first game, and I noticed he was not feeling ok, not 100 percent. He went to play, and I respect that, so big credit to him for finishing the match.”

“He was competing, so I was thinking ‘ok, well, he’s competing, so I need to try my best’, he was still trying hard, and I am happy that I got through.”

Khachanov, ranked No 21, will play Frenchman Ugo Humbert, the No 15 seed, next.

In the previous rounds of the Paris-Bercy tournament, the Russian beat Australian lucky loser Christopher O’Connell (6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6)), French wildcard Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (6-7 (12), 6-1, 6-4) and Australian Alexei Popyrin (7-6 (5), 6-4).

Dimitrov, ranked No 9, edged out Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry (6-7 (9), 6-3, 7-5) and French wildcard Arthur Rinderknech (6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (5)) earlier in the tournament.

Paris Masters 1000, other last eight results (Accor Arena, hard, EUR 5.950.575, most recent results first):

• Ugo Humbert beat Jordan Thompson: 6-2, 7-6 (4)
• Holger Rune (13) beat Alex De Minaur (9): 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
• Alexander Zverev (3) beat Stefanos Tsitsipas (10): 7-5, 6-4