Karen Khachanov produced a remarkable comeback at the Almaty Open, saving five match points to defeat Tomas Machac and reach the quarter-finals, while defending champion Daniil Medvedev advanced with a convincing straight-sets victory.
Fifth seed Khachanov battled past Machac 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(7) in a match lasting two hours and 32 minutes. The Russian faced four match points on his serve at 5-6 in the deciding set before saving another in the tie-break at 6/7 to complete the comeback.
“I am speechless. I was living through these hard moments, but then the relief is there when you win these kinds of hard matches,” Khachanov said after the match.
The victory continues a strong run for Khachanov, who reached the US Open semi-finals and delivered solid performances in Beijing and Shanghai. He has now reached his 70th tour-level quarter-final and his first indoor quarter-final since Paris in 2024.
Khachanov will next face third seed Alexander Bublik, who stands between him and a place in the semi-finals of the ATP 250 tournament.
Meanwhile, top seed Medvedev made a far more straightforward start to his title defence, defeating Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro 6-2, 6-1 in just 52 minutes.
The Russian controlled the match from the baseline, hitting 20 winners while making only nine unforced errors. The win keeps him in contention for a fourth title of the season and strengthens his bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
Medvedev currently sits sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, holding a 590-point advantage over Alex de Minaur, who is outside the qualifying positions.
“I like playing indoors. It was a great match. A great score, great timing. I am happy with my level,” Medvedev said.
He will meet Frenchman Terence Atmane in the quarter-finals after the latter edged Mattia Bellucci in a tense three-set encounter, winning 6-7(4), 7-6(2), 7-6(5).
Atmane recovered after losing the opening-set tie-break and won the next two tie-breaks to secure his third quarter-final appearance of the season. The result also lifted him nine places to a career-high No. 89 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
With Khachanov surviving a major scare and Medvedev continuing his efficient run, the quarter-finals promise another important test for the leading contenders in Almaty.