For players battling to ascend the Emirates ATP Rankings and reach the pinnacle of the game, signature victories and breakthroughs are inevitable. Karen Khachanov enjoyed one of those moments on one of the biggest stages on Sunday.
The #NextGenATP star booked his spot in the Round of 16 at Roland Garros with a 7-6(1), 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(3) upset of 21st-seed John Isner. The 21-year-old Russian, who is making his tournament debut, will appear in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. He is the youngest to reach the last 16 in Paris since Marin Cilic did so in 2009 at age 20.
"I think it's the best result for me in a Grand Slam," said Khachanov. "It's of course one of the biggest victories for me.
"I had to be focused all the time. If you lose one serve, maybe you are one set down. I had to be focused all the time and to take my serves and then to put returns in play and take risks sometimes. That's why I was calm, because I had to do this. Otherwise I didn't have a chance."
Dream debut! @karenkhachanov ousts Isner 7-6(1) 6-3 6-7(5) 7-6(3). Sets up R16 clash against No.1 seed Murray! #RG17 pic.twitter.com/0cY9kNDklW
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2017
Khachanov will vie for the biggest win of his young career when he takes on World No. 1 Andy Murray on Monday. It is his first encounter against a Top 5 opponent and one that coach Galo Blanco knows will be his greatest test yet. While Blanco is confident that his pupil can challenge the top seed, he understands that it is another step in his progression, win or lose.
"Yesterday, [Murray] played a great match against del Potro," said the 40-year-old Blanco, a former World No. 40. "It is true that he has not had the best results on clay like he had last year, but he is still No. 1 in the world for a reason. The numbers don't lie and if Karen wants to win, he has to play his best and be at his top level."
"That is what we are looking forward to, to play on the big arenas like here, centre court, and to play against the World No. 1," added Khachanov. "I'm really looking forward to it."
Khachanov has worked under Blanco's tutelage at his academy in Barcelona for the past three years and scored his first Top 10 win in April in the Spanish metropolis, toppling David Goffin. Blanco believes that every match against elite competition will only make him stronger.
"Maybe last week against Tsonga in Lyon was the only match against a top player that he did not play at his top level. But we did have a great preparation after Madrid," Blanco said. "Karen has an incredible potential and I don't believe he has realised it yet. He is working very hard to achieve big things and we hope that in the future he can get there. We are not talking about just reaching the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam."
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Khachanov is the second Russian-born player to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros in the past three years, joining Teymuraz Gabashvili (2015). He will look to extend his perfect record at the clay-court Grand Slam against Murray, having also notched a four-set win over Nicolas Jarry and straight-set victory over 13th-seed Tomas Berdych in the second round.
"He is moving along little by little," said Blanco. "But there are times when he wants to run faster than he should, so to speak. When he plays well, he can do everything, but he can't get ahead of himself. We are working on that. It is a job that takes time. You don't have to run, you are very young and you have a long future ahead of you. We must work very hard as we are doing, without hurry but without pause."
Go inside the tournament at RolandGarros.com.