Khachanov Finally Gets His Shot at NBO Title National Bank Open

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For Karen Khachanov, the third time really was the charm. After reaching the semifinals of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in 2018 and 2019, the 29-year-old was finally able to go one step further in 2025, saving a match point en route to upsetting No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4), in front of a full house at Sobeys Stadium.

Having lost his last three meetings to Zverev — including the gold medal match at the Tokyo Olympics — in straight sets, Khachanov was keen to get off to a quick start against Zverev, who had narrowly escaped losing a set in his first match and had been pushed to three sets in two of his first four matches in Toronto.

The No. 11 seed took advantage of another slow start from the top seed, coming out on top in a marathon 30-shot rally to earn a decisive break in the fifth game of the opening set. Khachanov did not put a foot wrong in his own service games, winning 22 out of 32 (69%) of the points and never facing a single break point.

Khachanov, however, could not seem to make any inroads in Zverev’s service games in the second set, despite getting multiple looks at creating break points for himself. On the big points, both players seemed quite nervy, overcooking or netting routine groundstrokes as the rallies got longer and longer. Returning serve at 5-4 up, Zverev began to play some of his best tennis of the match; on the first three points, he hit a huge forehand crosscourt winner, a drop-volley winner, and then a scorching forehand down the line. In the end, the former National Bank Open champion needed just one opportunity to force a decider.

With little to separate both players in the decider, the match was always going to be decided by who was going to play the big points better. After saving two crucial break points earlier in the set, Zverev appeared to have the momentum heading into the 12th game, cleverly using the angles of the court to keep Khachanov on the move. But on his first and only match point opportunity, Zverev hit a second-serve backhand return that clipped the top of the net and dribbled back over onto his side. And in the tiebreak, just when it appeared that Zverev had the upper hand, the German faltered under pressure.

“When you come to this point [in the match], I would say both players deserve to win, him and myself. I cannot tell you what was the difference,” Khachanov said in his post-match press conference. “In a way, whoever puts more balls inside the court, or maybe makes more winners, less unforced errors, it's always a question of what do you do in those important moments when it counts.

“So I would say, actually, I was down 3-1, then I came back to 3-All. Then it seems he made two unforced errors,” he added of the final-set tiebreak, which saw him reel off five points in a row from 1-3 down before converting his second match point. “But again, maybe I put a little bit more pressure, he got a little bit more nervous, more tight. So, this is how you play in those moments. You try to bring your A-game, and you can win, you can lose, but it is what it is.”

Zverev, for his part, thought that he was “very brave in the tiebreak.” Taking risks on the big points is “the one thing that I wanted to change, it’s one thing I wanted to work on,” the German told the media after losing in the semifinals, which is still his career-best result at the Toronto edition of this event.

“I missed some balls that I wish I wouldn't have missed, but that's the way it is. Generally, I wasn't feeling the ball well, so it's normal that you miss a little bit more than usual in these kind of situations,” said Zverev. “But that's okay, I mean, we move on. I have another chance in a few days’ time in Cincinnati.”

Wednesday evening’s two-hour, 53-minute victory over Zverev is the latest highlight in a resurgent week for Khachanov, who had gone 5-7 on hard courts through the first three months of this season. After rediscovering his form during the clay season and equaling his career-best quarter-final finish at Wimbledon, the former World No. 8 returned to Toronto with the goal of hitting the ground running in the lead-up to the U.S. Open, where he reached the semifinals in 2022.

With his semifinal win, Khachanov has now recorded at least 16 wins at two different Masters 1000 events — Toronto (where he is now 16-6) and Paris (16-7). But that does not mean he has always felt comfortable on the fast hard courts in Canada.

“Actually, when I came here, I didn't like the conditions. I can say it now,” Khachanov said with a wry laugh. “But that's all about adjusting and adapting. I think tennis is all about that. Every week, we play [a] different event. Even though it's on hard court, at the end it's different humidity, different heat, cold. Sometimes you play day match or night match. That's why a lot of things that matter sometimes [depend] on the results, so that's why I think the question [of who wins these matches] is about who adapts better. And then, once you pass one, two rounds, then you start to play better and better, and then these are the kind of battles that we had today. It's a really good match, high level.”

Khachanov will look to bring his A-game again in Thursday night’s championship match, which is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. In just his second ATP Masters 1000 final — and his first since winning the Rolex Paris Masters in 2018, at 22 years old — Khachanov will face No. 4 seed Ben Shelton, who looked particularly dominant in a straight-sets win over No. 2 seed and compatriot Taylor Fritz to cap off a stunning night of tennis in Toronto. Shelton won their only meeting earlier this year, at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, in straight sets.

The ATP's best return to Toronto this summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers July 26 to Aug. 7, 2025 at Sobeys Stadium. 2025 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!

Feature Photo : Peter Power