Karen Khachanov Survives First Round Scare from Nishesh Basavareddy

In the bright sunshine of the late afternoon, Basavareddy came back from a break down to nab the first set 7-6. Tight the whole way, the American barely won more points in the set by taking 40 to the Russian’s 37. His stellar net play gave him eight points on 11 trips to the net .

In his first US Open main draw match, Basavareddy made it clear he did not plan play according to the script, he had Khachanov’s complete attention.

Two Tight Sets – Advantage Veteran

Of course, Khachanov refused to backdown. In the second, Khachanov started to put the match back on track. After trading service holds for 7 straight games, Khachanov nabbed a break in a deuce game to go up 5-3. Within a few minutes the competitors were sitting and resting with the match tied at one set apiece.

Basavareddy had another chance in the third set. As Khachanov readied to serve at 4-5 the increasingly raucous crowd sensed a possible moment, but the #9 seed was too steady and held for 5-5.

In the next game,  Basavareddy made a critical error at 15-15. He pushed an easy volley right back to the Russian who swiped the point. Within a minute, Khachanov had a break, a 6-5 lead and a chance to serve for a two sets to one lead. Khachanov then held at love, closing the set with an ace.

Too Much Khachanov in the 4th

Basavareddy showed his toughness by holding to start the 4th set. He quickly got a break point in game two, but Khachanov overcame an increasingly hostile crowd to capture the big points and the hold. He carried the momentum into the next game, taking advantage of some sloppy play to break the American.

With the finish line in sight, the Khachanov showed why he reached at least the 4th round in ten Grand Slam tournaments through his career. Disappointing the highly partisan American fans, Khachanov played with the confidence and comfort that comes with a lead. Basavareddy increased the frequency of errors. The veteran closed the match by winning six consecutive games.

With a scoreline making the match look easier than it was, Khachanov advanced to Round 2 of the US Open. Young Nishesh Basavareddy exited the excitement of Court 17 a bit disappointed but much wiser, he will be back.