Perhaps no one has benefited more from the lengthy absences of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in 2026 than Felix Auger-Aliassime, a player who has risen to the top 5 of the ATP Tour without accomplishing anything great. He's made deep inroads at important events, but likely because Sinner or Alcaraz (or both) weren't playing.
For the 26-year-old Canadian to be remembered well after his career as a high-end player, he eventually needs to win a Masters 1000 or a major, and he would have had a decent chance of stealing the US Open crown in 2026. He wasn't having to face Sinner, who withdrew from the tournament with a knee injury, and Alcaraz is still shaking off some rust.
But Auger-Aliassime has never been able to take full advantage of the opportunities given to him at the biggest events. He won't do so at this year's New York major either. His latest loss might sting far more than others.
Karen Khachanov shocks Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round of the 2026 US Open
In the second round, he faced Karen Khachanov, who has battled through a fairly bad year. He has a huge serve, but his consistency overall is lacking. One wouldn't know that by how he played against the No. 3-seed.
Auger-Aliassime took the opening set 7-6(5) and appeared to be playing better on the bigger points. His form seemed fine, and there were no issues with his fitness. He moved well and hit the ball well.
That was his high point of the match, though. He dropped the second set 3-6 and the third set 3-6. He was on the verge of becoming the second-biggest upset of the entire major, trailing only the first-round loss by Novak Djokovic.
The difference between FAA and Djokovic was that the Serbian had won 24 Grand Slams, and the Canadian had not made it past the semifinals at any of the four. Djokovic had nothing else to prove in tennis; Auger-Aliassime had only proven he couldn't win anything beyond an ATP 500.
Khachanov wasn't going to allow him to disprove that either. In the must-win fourth set, the Russian throttled the Canadian from the outset. Auger-Aliassime was broken in the opening game and then again in the third game.
He was down 0-4 and appeared to suddenly be exhausted. This was likely as much mental and emotional as physical. Once again, he was going to be bounced out of a Grand Slam far too early. This was no new result, however. Since the Australian Open in 2025, Felix Auger-Aliassime had lost in the second round or earlier in five of the eight majors he has played.
He wasn't a contender for a real top-3 ranking on the ATP Tour, but he was a pretender to be ranked as highly as he was. Auger-Aliassime now needs to think about how to rebuild himself once more.
After taking the fourth set 6-2, Karen Khachanov will next face the winner of the Benjamin Bonzi and Ignacio Buse match in the third round of the US Open. Whoever wins that match could make a surprise run to the semifinals.
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