Living up to the hype
Karen Khachanov remembers a time when the hype outstripped his accomplishments.
A powerful athlete, with a swaggering 6ft 6in frame, the comparisons with two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin were inevitable.
After reaching a maiden tour quarter-final in Moscow five years ago, expectations on Russia’s next big thing mounted quickly.
A little too quickly for Khachanov’s liking.
Having languished in Challenger events and falling in five straight Grand Slam qualifying draws, follow-up success was harder to come by than the teenager had anticipated.
After surging back from two sets down to deny 20-year-old American prospect Frances Tiafoe the Russian proved he was beginning to deliver on the hype.
Through to his second straight Grand Slam fourth round with a 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-1 victory, the 22-year-old became the youngest Russian man to progress as far at SW19 since Mikhail Youzhny 16 years ago.
“Yeah I will be happy to reach my first quarter-final but in the third or fourth rounds you are crossing higher ranked players,” Khachanov said.
“You just have to try to win these kind of matches. That’s what I’m looking forward to. You play on the big arenas, the big stages, fourth round. I just want to do better. That’s what we’re playing for I think, to play on big courts against top players.”
Khachanov had earlier fended off challenges from the older brigade to book his first showdown with Tiafoe – first from former world No.3 David Ferrer, before narrowly holding off Wimbledon 2006 semi-finalist Marcos Baghdatis.
There was a feeling of validation, a show of improved mental toughness. This was his second straight five-set victory.
“To win matches like that, they give a lot of experience, a lot of confidence and in general I feel good,” Khachanov said.
There was a feeling of validation about his improved mental toughness. This was his second straight five-set victory.
While two years the Russian’s junior, Tiafoe can relate to the pressure to deliver his nation its next Grand Slam champion.
Not since Andy Roddick in 2003 have the Stars and Stripes celebrated a Grand Slam champion.
And as the top-ranked player among a much-hyped group of Americans – a pack which includes Jared Donaldson, Taylor Fritz, Michael Mmoh, Reilly Opelka, Noah Rubin and Tommy Paul - Tiafoe looked well on his way to outperforming all of them as he closed in on his first fourth round appearance at a Grand Slam.
Heading into the third set tie-break and with two sets already comfortably under his belt, there was little to indicate the capitulation about to unfold.
When Tiafoe rolled down a double fault to fall behind 1-5, he berated himself, “wow, man, wow!”
It was the beginning of the end. He dropped the tie-break when he whipped a forehand narrowly wide and would win just three more games in the three-hour contest. Two-time champion Novak Djokovic will stand between a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final for Khachanov.
“You see the guy goes down and it pumps you up,” Khachanov said. “That’s obvious why Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal] and top guys they are not showing it. Of course they feel pressure and frustration, but you need to try to hide it.”
Comparisons with Safin would only intensify should he repeat his countryman’s Centre Court upset of Djokovic a decade ago.
