After wrapping up his Toronto outing, where Ben Shelton bested him 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, Karen Khachanov only wanted to return to his bed. But if only he had time… Talking to the media and completing other requirements as a runner-up, he made his way to the hotel late at 3:30 am. However, the 12th-ranked star couldn’t catch up much on sleep. He had a flight to catch by 7:15 am with the Canadian Open finals overlapping the Cincinnati Open’s opening rounds. With no time for a turnaround from Toronto to Ohio, he didn’t mince words to clarify his health as he stated, “Today, I feel like a zombie.” The Cincinnati heat did little to help.

Still, Khachanov entered his first round, wanting to forget about his Toronto loss to Shelton. On the way to the round of 16, he did find success in defeating

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