The US Open has already delivered another major shock.
Third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime is OUT.
The Canadian was beaten by unseeded Karen Khachanov in the second round, losing 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in a match that completely changed after the opening set.
And that’s what makes this one sting.
Auger-Aliassime won the first set.
Then Khachanov took over.
HE WON THE FIRST SET — THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED
For a moment, it looked like Auger-Aliassime was going to handle business.
He edged Khachanov in the opening-set tiebreak and had the early advantage.
But instead of folding, Khachanov turned the match around.
He won the next three sets and never allowed Auger-Aliassime to regain control.
By the end, the scoreboard told the story:
6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
That’s a serious comeback.
KHACHANOV JUST WOULDN’T GO AWAY
Khachanov deserves plenty of credit here.
Once he settled into the match, his level went up while Auger-Aliassime’s started to drop.
The Russian kept applying pressure and forced the No. 3 seed into uncomfortable positions.
Suddenly, the player who looked in control during the first set was fighting just to stay alive.
And the US Open crowd got to watch the entire momentum swing happen in real time.
AUGER-ALIASSIME COULDN’T FIND A WAY BACK
The numbers weren’t pretty for the Canadian.
Auger-Aliassime finished with 47 unforced errors and eight double faults.
That’s a tough combination to overcome against an opponent who has found his rhythm.
And after losing the second set, things continued going downhill.
Khachanov took the third set 6-2.
Then another 6-2 in the fourth.
At that point, the upset was no longer a possibility.
It was happening.
WHY THIS EXIT HURTS
This wasn’t just another second-round loss.
Auger-Aliassime entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and was coming off a deep run at last year’s US Open.
He reached the semifinals in 2025, making this year’s early exit even more surprising.
Instead of another serious run in New York, his tournament is already finished.
That’s a massive opportunity gone.
KHACHANOV HAS NOW FLIPPED THE SCRIPT
For Khachanov, this is a huge win.
He wasn’t supposed to be the headline coming into this match.
The No. 3 seed was.
But that’s the beauty of Grand Slam tennis.
One bad stretch.
One player finding another gear.
And suddenly the entire tournament bracket looks different.
Khachanov is now through to the third round, while one of the tournament’s biggest names is heading home.
THE US OPEN JUST GOT MORE INTERESTING
This is exactly the type of result that can open up a Grand Slam.
When a top seed goes out this early, other players immediately see an opportunity.
The road to the later rounds just became a little less crowded.
And with the tournament still moving through its early stages, there could be more surprises waiting.
That’s what makes the US Open so dangerous.
Nobody is guaranteed anything.
SPORTLOUD TAKE
Auger-Aliassime didn’t simply lose.
He won the opening set and then watched the match completely slip away.
That’s going to be the frustrating part for him.
Khachanov deserves credit for refusing to panic and finding another level, but Auger-Aliassime will probably look back at those final three sets and wonder what happened.
For a player seeded third at a Grand Slam, this is a brutal way to exit.
But for Khachanov?
It’s a statement.
