“I know you’re for the other guy,” Karen Khachanov takes a dig at the 2023 Australian Open crowd after winning against Frances Tiafoe
Karen Khachanov has his say about the crowd’s cheering for his double faults against Frances Tiafoe in Australian Open 2023.
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Karen Khachanov and Frances Tiafoe
Russian World No.20 Karen Khachanov slammed the crowd for cheering his double faults against Frances Tiafoe during his third-round match of the Australian Open 2023. Despite not having the majority of the crowd behind him, Khachanov was able to beat the American in 4 sets: 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6( 11-9). He will face Yoshihito Nishioka in the fourth round.
During the press conference, Khachanov didn’t confine his disinterest to the crowd. He said, “To cheer on the double fault, I don’t think it’s really nice… I know you’re for the other guy. After hard times during the pandemic, even if the atmosphere and the energy [of the audience] is against me… I still like it!“
Tiafoe getting the crowd behind him is not a new thing in tennis. He used to have his share of fans even when playing against members of the Big 3. But Khachanov has beaten Tiafoe in all 3 matches they played against each other. Their previous meetings at Wimbledon in 2018 and 2021.
The crowd creating issues are not a new thing in Melbourne Park. Even though the crowd didn’t go out of limits as in the second-round match of Novak Djokovic, the sarcastic applause when the Russian hit double faults was not a great sight against Tiafoe. For the uninitiated, during Djokovic’s match, the Serbian had to complain to the chair umpire a number of times before a group of disrespectful fans was thrown out of the stadium. He was playing against Frenchman Enzo Couacaud.
Karen Khachanov has Yoshihito Nishioka waiting in the fourth round
The Russian 26-year-old Karen Khachanov put up a stunning serving performance to overcome Frances Tiafoe in his third-round match. The Russian hit 20 aces against four double faults. As it was meant to be, a big serve at 10-9 in the 4th set tie-breaker got him over the finishing line in the tight contest. The Russian and American were toe to toe in most parts of the match. Tiafoe was able to fire 15 aces with five double faults. The final score of the match was 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6( 11-9).
Khachanov will be looking to keep up his serving game in the coming rounds as well. Last year, he fell to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the third round in 4 sets. This is the first time he was able to move past round 3 in Melbourne Park. He seems to be more consistent with his serves this year. The same level of play got him until the semi-finals of the US Open 2022.
Had Rafael Nadal been there, the fourth-round match would have been a replay of last year’s third-round for the Russian. Instead, he has the Japanese 31st seed, Yoshihito Nishioka waiting for him. The Japanese looks to be in fine touch as he is yet to lose a set in the tournament. His third-round victory was against the American Mackenzie McDonald in straights , 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 6-2.
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Vipul Payattuparambil
(552 Articles Published)