Karen Khachanov Advances to US Open Round 4 After Defeating Benjamin Bonzi

NEW YORK, September 6. /TASS/. Russia’s Karen Khachanov advanced to Round 4 of the 2026 US Open after he defeated Benjamin Bonzi from France.

The Russian tennis player, who plays under a neutral status at international tournaments, defeated his French opponent in straight sets 6-3; 6-2; 6-4. Khachanov is now set to play in the next round against the winner of the duel between Learner Tien of the United States (14th-seed) and Jakub Mensik from the Czech Republic (17th-seed).

A seven-time ATP champion, Khachanov, 30, is currently the 50th-ranked player in the world. His best performance in the Grand Slam series was when he reached the semifinal rounds at the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Australian Open.

The Russian player also took home the silver medal in men’s singles at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. He also won the 2021 Davis Cup as part of the Russian national team.

The 2026 US Open is played on outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York between August 30 and September 13. The tournament will award a record $108 million in prize money. Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz are the tournament’s reigning champions in women’s and men’s singles respectively.

Russian tennis players are participating in international tournaments under a neutral status. The US Open is no exception.

Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC's recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations moved to exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1, 2022, to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations while also canceling all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in the two countries.

On March 14, 2022, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition on the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from participating in the 2022 Davis Cup and the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.