WASHINGTON, August 14. /TASS/. Russia’s Karen Khachanov opted to retire in his Round Four of the 2025 ATP Cincinnati Open in the United States against Germany’s Alexander Zverev citing an injury.
Germany’s 3rd-seed Zverev secured a 7-5 win in the opening set against the 14th-seed Khachanov, who is playing under a neutral status at the tournament. In the following set Zverev soared to win three straight game points, when the Russian announced a decision to retire, citing an injury.
Zverev is now set to face in the quarterfinals of the 2025 ATP Cincinnati Open the winner of the match between US Ben Shelton (5th-seed) and Jiri Lehecka (22nd-seed) from the Czech Republic.
Khachanov, 29, is currently ranked 12th in the ATP (the Association of Tennis Professionals) Rankings, and has seven career ATP titles. 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 ATP Cincinnati Masters 2025 Open tennis tournament is played on outdoor hard courts in the city of Cincinnati, in the US state of Ohio, and will run through August 18. The event offers $9.1 million in prize money. The tournament’s reigning champion is World No.1 Jannik Sinner from Italy.
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 decided to bar 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 taking part in the 2022 Davis Cup and 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.