Alexander Zverev reacts to ‘upsetting’ and ‘terrible’ Karen Khachanov Canadian Masters loss
Alexander Zverev has branded his Canadian Masters loss to Karen Khachanov ‘terrible’ and ‘upsetting’ after failing to capitalise on a match point.
The Russian defeated the world No 2 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) in the semi-finals of the sixth Masters 1000 tournament of 2025.
Zverev roared by to a 6-5 lead in the third set, before being unable to take a match point on Khachanov’s serve. In the tiebreak, the German lost six of the last final points – having led 3-1.
“I thought I was very brave in the tiebreak, I just missed,” Zverev admitted
“That’s one thing that I wanted to change, it’s one thing I wanted to work on.
“I feel like I was brave today in the tiebreak, it didn’t work out, it’s as simple as that. I missed some balls that, yeah, I wish I wouldn’t have missed, but that’s the way it is.
“But as I said before, generally I wasn’t feeling the ball well, so it’s normal that you miss a little bit more than usual in these kind of situations.
“But that’s okay, I mean, we move on. I have another chance in a few days time in Cincinnati.”
The German has only reached one Masters 1000 final in the last 36 months (Italian Open 2024), with this loss marking a third consecutive loss in a deciding-set.
Heading into the match, it was Zverev who lead the head-to-head 5-2, having won all of their three most recent clashes – including all nine sets.
As a result of the victory, Khachanov moves into his second Masters 1000 final.
“I didn’t feel my best on the court, didn’t play my best tennis,” Zverev added.
“Also, the first set was terrible, so I kind of gave him a head start, and he’s too good to not use that.
“So, yeah, I still had match point, so it’s upsetting that I lost this match. But that’s the way it is, we move on, I go to Cincinnati and try to do better.”
The world No 3 will face either Gael Monfils or Nishesh Basavareddy in his opening match at the Cincinnati Masters, which is his next scheduled event.
Zverev is a former champion in Ohio, having lifted the trophy in 2021.
He has made the last four at his two most recent appearances.
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Khachanov agreed with much of Zverev’s assessment, emphasising his opponent’s nerves when it came to crunch time.
“You know, when you come to this point, I would say both players deserve to win, you know, him and myself,” he admitted.
“I cannot tell you what was the difference. In a way that, you know, whoever puts more balls inside the court, or maybe makes more winners, less unforced errors, it’s always a question of what do you do in those important moments when it counts.
“So I would say actually I was down 3-1, then I came back to 3-All. Then, it seems he made two unforced errors.
“But again, maybe I put a little bit more pressure, he got a little bit more nervous, more tight.
“So, this is how you play in those moments. You try to bring your A-game, and you can win, you can lose, but it is what it is.”
