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Karen Khachanov showed his remarkable resilience as he fought back and defeated Italy's Lorenzo Sonego and secured a spot in the Quarter-Finals of the French Open 2023 for the second time. Khachanov started slowly but came back strongly and won the clash 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(7), 6-1 in a thrilling encounter on Court Suzanne Lenglen. In the early stages of the match, Khachanov struggled to find the flow while Sonego started with a storm. The Russian found his rhythm and turned the match from there.
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The turning point of the match came in the third-set tiebreak when Sonego squandered a 4-0 lead, allowing Khachanov to mount a remarkable comeback. Khachanov is back in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019.
Back in the #RolandGarros quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 👊
In this tight match-up, it's @karenkhachanov that comes out on top over Sonego 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(7), 6-1 pic.twitter.com/MdHXcq2f1G— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2023
French Open 2023: What happened in the match?
Sonego never recovered from wasting a 4-0 advantage in the third-set tiebreak, which proved to be the turning point of an entertaining encounter. Khachanov will now face either two-time Roland Garros champion Novak Djokovic or Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas. Sonego was strong on serve and not faced a single break point. He outplayed his opponent in a one-sided opening set that he sealed when Khachanov netted a crosscourt forehand.
"After the first set and a half, I was thinking, what am I doing here, he was hitting all over the place so I decided all I could do was fight," said Khachanov.
Khachanov brought his best game into the second set to level the contest, which went to a tiebreak in the third. Sonego cruised to a 4-0 lead, only to blow it away and fall 5-6 behind. He saved the first set point but served a double fault on the second. After Losing the set, it broke Sonego's momentum and his game. Khachanov pumped up and went on to seal the match by winning the fourth set, prevailing on the first match point.