Russian Armenian Karen Khachanov reaches Canadian Open final in Toronto

TORONTOHYE—Russian Armenian tennis star Karen Khachanov has advanced to the final of the National Bank Open (NBO) in Toronto after defeating top-seeded (world no. 3) Alexander Zverev in a tightly contested semifinal on Wednesday evening.

Khachanov, the tournament's 11th seed, won 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) in a match that lasted nearly three hours. It marked his first win over Zverev since 2019 and his first victory over a top-10 opponent this season.

The 29-year-old, who is of Armenian descent, had previously reached the semifinals of the Canadian ATP Masters event twice but had not progressed beyond that stage. With Wednesday's win at Sobeys Stadium, Khachanov secured his spot in the final of a Masters 1000 tournament for only the second time in his career.

Born in Moscow, Khachanov has publicly acknowledged and embraced his Armenian heritage on multiple occasions. During the 2023 Australian Open, he made headlines for writing messages of support for Armenians in Artsakh on the camera lens after his matches, drawing a formal complaint from the Azerbaijan Tennis Federation. In 2024, he participated in a charity exhibition match in Los Angeles that raised $100,000 for displaced families from Artsakh.

At the NBO, Khachanov held his ground against Zverev in a match defined by narrow margins. Despite trailing 3-1 in the third-set tiebreak, he came back to win 7-4, saving a match point along the way. Zverev recorded 44 unforced errors to Khachanov's 34, while Khachanov hit 29 winners.

Khachanov will face the winner of the all-American semifinal between Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz in the final, scheduled for Thursday night.

The National Bank Open, formerly known as the Rogers Cup, is one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world and a key stop on the ATP Masters 1000 circuit. Toronto hosts the men's competition in alternating years with Montreal.