Carlos Alcaraz never lost a set against Karen Khachanov, but he was closest to it during their match at the 2024 China Open. Still, the Spaniard was able to win the match without losing a set.
Khachanov hasn't had the best of times against Alcaraz, but he's hardly alone in that regard. Plenty of players struggle against the Spaniard, similar to how the Russian player did in the past.
This match brought new light to the matchup because, for a good amount of time, he was able to trouble Alcaraz significantly. Before this meeting, the youngster dominated the Russian easily.
Their most recent match on clay was the closest they had played so far, so in a sense, he was making things more interesting as the matches went on. Even so, Alcaraz has been playing some of the best tennis he's played in recent weeks.
He found that form at the Laver Cup in Beijing, powering Team Europe to a victory. He continued it in Beijing, and he came out firing in this match, too. He could have broken at the start of the match, but Khachanov, as he often does, found his serve at a timely moment and was able to save break points.
The next few games saw the Russian play a bit better than his opponent. He actually had a break chance but wasn't able to convert it. As it usually happens, the punishment came in the next game as Alcaraz broke for the 3-2 lead.
Unfortunately for all the Spanish fans, he couldn't hold the advantage as Khachanov broke back and even took a 4-3 lead. It was a surprisingly competitive match. The conditions in Beijing fit Alcaraz's style well, but Khachanov was doing a good job of using his chances.
He would have to save more break chances at 4-4, but he did it, and the match remained close. Alcaraz finally broke at 5-5 again, taking the 6-5 lead, and then held to win the opening set 7-5.
Ultimately, it came down to him simply being the better player. He found a higher level when he needed to, and it was only a matter of time before it happened. Shaking that off was crucial for Khachanov, and he was able to win his opening service game in the second set, even though it wasn't the cleanest game he played.
What happened in the first set ended up happening in the second set as well because, despite putting up solid resistance, Khachanov eventually got himself into trouble, and he failed to find a solution for that.
The Spaniard broke for a 3-2 lead, and from there, he was able to hold it without too many problems. Ultimately, the Spaniard being the better player proved to be the reason why he was able to win the match.
When it really mattered, Alcaraz seemingly went to a level above, and that was too much for Khachanov. He just wasn't as sharp as he needed to be, especially when the match was on the line. He had chances but didn't use them, while Alcaraz did, winning 7-5, 6-2.
In the semi-finals of the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing, the 21-year-old will take on Daniil Medvedev, who outplayed Flavio Cobolli in the other quarter-final match.