Russian tennis star Karen Khachanov made headlines on Tuesday night, September 6, 2022, when he beat Australian superstar Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinal of the US Open 2022 to advance to his maiden Grand Slam semifinal. Khachanov defeated Kyrgios 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4 at the Flushing Meadows to cement his spot in the semifinal, where he will face world no. 7 Casper Ruud, on Friday, September 9.

The 26-year-old also became the first tennis player of Armenian descent to reach the semifinal of a major tournament for the first time since 2006, when David Nalbandian achieved it at the Roland Garros.

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Who is Karen Khachanov?

Karen Khachanov is a Russian tennis player who has four ATP Tour singles titles in his career. His highest career ranking in singles is no. 8, which he achieved in July 2019. It was the first time he reached the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam event, at the French Open.

Khachanov was born on May 21, 1996, in Moscow, Russia, to Abgar and Natalia. He became interested in tennis from a very young age and started playing when he was only 3 and in kindergarten. Both his father and mother studied medicine, however, his father also played volleyball before opting for a different career path. 

He has a sister and brother, named Margarita and Georgiy. Karen was a fan of Marat Safin and Juan Martin del Potro in his childhood. He also supported Real Madrid and Miami Heat when he was growing up. He turned professional in tennis when he was only 13-year-old.

He moved to Split, Croatia, when he was 15, for training under Vedran Martic, the former coach of Croatian great Goran Ivanišević. He later moved to Spain to train under Galo Blanco, a former Davis Cup champion.

He reigned supreme in the U-18 European Championship in Switzerland in June 2013. He partnered with Andrey Rublev in the doubles and finished as the runners-up in the 2014 Youth Olympics. 

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He turned pro in 2013 but continued to participate in junior tournaments, along with senior tournaments. Karen made his Davis Cup debut when he was only 17 years and 157 days old and became the youngest Russian pro tennis player in the tournament.

The Russian made his first Grand Slam debut at the US Open in 2016. Since then, he has gone on to reach the quarter-finals and semifinals of several Grand Slam tournaments, the latter of which came in the 2022 US Open.