BEIJING — Felix Auger-Aliassime was dumped out of the China Open on Wednesday, falling 6-3, 6-3 to Karen Khachanov in the Chinese capital. The defeat for the world No. 5, who did not compete in the 2025 event and was therefore not defending any points in Beijing in 2026, marked the latest in a run of disappointing results for the 26-year-old Montreal native.
Khachanov, the world No. 27 and US Open semi-finalist, secured the straight-sets victory to advance in Beijing. The Russian, once ranked eighth on the ATP Tour, recently made his third Grand Slam semi-final appearance at the US Open and has enjoyed an excellent month heading into the China Open second round, where he will face either Alex Molcan or Shanghai Masters finalist Arthur Rinderknech.
The result heightens concern for Auger-Aliassime despite his standing as one of the ATP Tour's best indoor hard-court players. The Canadian showcased that prowess last year by winning the European Open and reaching the Paris Masters final, and he is defending 1,050 points during the 2026 European hard-court swing. Since reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, he has failed to advance past the round of 16 at any of the three ATP Tour events he has contested. He did win both singles matches for Canada in the second round of Davis Cup qualifying against Arthur Rinderknech and Quentin Halys, and paired with Duncan Chan to defeat Benjamin Bonzi and Pierre-Hugues Herbert in doubles.
Khachanov carries an 0-2 record against Rinderknech and an 0-1 record against Molcan into his next match. If he advances to the third round in Beijing, he will likely play seventh seed Learner Tien.