TORONTO — Karen Khachanov eliminated top-seeded Alexander Zverev at the National Bank Open on Wednesday night with a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) victory at Sobeys Stadium.
The 11th-seeded Russian needed two hours 52 minutes to complete the semifinal victory and secure his second career appearance in an ATP Masters 1000 final.
It was Khachanov’s first win over a top-10 opponent in four tries this season.
He will next face the winner of the late semifinal between Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
The final is scheduled for Thursday night.
Both Khachanov and Zverev showed off their big service games early in the match on a warm, hazy evening at the York University venue.
Extended rallies were rare over the early going as players settled in on the fast hardcourt.
Khachanov took advantage of 11 unforced errors by Zverev in the first set but the German pulled even by breaking at love to take the second set.
Zverev, the world No. 3, appeared to fade in the third-set tiebreaker while the 16th-ranked Khachanov continued his steady play.
Fritz, meanwhile, is seeded second and ranked fourth. Shelton is the fourth seed and world No. 7.
Their match will be the first all-American semifinal at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament since Mardy Fish beat Andy Roddick in 2010 at Cincinnati.
Earlier in the day, sixth-seeded Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski posted a 7-6 (5), 6-2 doubles semifinal win over Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni of Argentina.
Salisbury and Skupski will face fellow Brits Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, the No. 2 seeds, in Thursday’s final.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2025.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
