Khachanov outlasts top-seeded Zverev in Toronto

TORONTO (AP) — Eleventh-seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia outlasted top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday night to reach the National Bank Open Open final.

“Today was a real close one,” Khachanov said. “I was match-point down, if the ball touches the net and drops over we wouldn’t be talking now.”

The 29-year-old Khachanov, a seven-time winner on the ATP Tour, will face the winner of the all-American second semifinal between second-seeded Taylor Fritz and fourth-seeded Ben Shelton.

“I had to dig deep and lift my level," Khachanov said. “It was a very demanding, very mental, very physical match. So I’m very happy to get the win after losing some easy ones to him in recent years.”

Zverev, the 2017 champion with 24 tour titles, is ranked third in the world. He ended up the top seed with top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the 2023 winner — and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz skipping the hard-court tournament.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis