Russian tennis player, Karen Khachanov has claimed his first championship title since 2018 after beating Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets in the final of the Zhuhai Championships.
This is Khachanov’s fifth career title and first in five years on the ATP Tour on Tuesday, following his victory over his Japanese opponent with a set of 7-6(2), 6-1 in the finals.
At the Zhuhai Championships on Monday, Karen Khachanov defeated Sebastian Korda 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the season’s first final, breaking a five-match semi-final losing run.
Khachanov smashed nine aces, won 77 percent of his first serve points, and broke serve three times in the final match, which lasted an hour and 43 minutes.
He was pushed by Nishioka in a first set that saw the two players trade breaks of serve.
The tiebreaker was won by Khachanov by a score of six points in a row, and the second set ended up being a one-sided affair.
He broke twice to take the lead and then triumphed with a forehand winner to secure the title.
The World No. 15 improved his lifetime record against Nishioka to 4-1 by hitting a total of 37 winners.
The 27 year-old will be ranked No. 14 in the world’s ATP ranking on Monday.
As a result of an injury absence, Khachanov was playing only his second tournament since making the quarter-finals of the French Open earlier this year.
Nishioka, who was looking to win third career title, will move up to No. 38 in the ATP list on Monday.
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Story by: Asack Pius | univers.ug.edu.gh
