Karen Khachanov returns to Winner's Circle after clinching Chinese ATP Title

Karen Khachanov won the Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships on Tuesday, returning to the winner's circle for the first time since 2018.

The top seed defeated Japanese star Yoshihito Nishioka in the final of the Chinese ATP 250 hard-court event, 7-6(2), 6-1, to win his fifth tour-level title and first since Paris nearly five years ago.

Throughout the one-hour, 43-minute match, Khachanov played 'big-man' tennis. After recovering from a break down in the first set to edge a tight opener, the 27-year-old opened his shoulders in the second set, unleashing on the forehand to overpower Nishioka.

Khachanov improved to 4-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against the eighth seed, hitting 34 winners, including nine aces. Khachanov was playing in only his second tour-level singles event since suffering a stress fracture in his back in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros in May. His victory in Zhuhai caps off an incredible comeback week.

When he returned in August, he lost in the first round of the US Open, but he looked close to his best in Zhuhai, dropping just one set en route to the title. Khachanov, who won in Chengdu in 2016, has risen to No. 14 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

SportsLigue