Karen Khachanov vs. Alexander Zverev: Where to Watch, ATP Toronto Preview

🖥️📱 Click here for live coverage on TennisChannel.com
Estimated start time: 7:00 p.m. ET, Wednesday, August 6

👉 Stream all ATP Toronto matches here

👉 Click here for the complete Toronto bracket.

Karen Khachanov vs. Alexander Zverev: Match Preview

These two go way back. Zverev is 28, and Khachanov 29, so chances are they’ve been facing off—or at least seeing each other around—for a couple of decades now. At one stage, maybe 10 years ago, they were both projected to be part of the Next Gen that would grab the baton from the Big Three. They’ve gone far in the years since—Zverev to No. 2 in the world, Khachanov to a pair of Slam semis—but not that far.

As pros, they’ve played seven times since 2016, and Zverev has won five of those matches. One of his wins was a five-setter at Roland Garros in 2018, but he’s had it easier in their recent encounters. The last three were all straight-set wins; two of them came on North American hard courts, in Miami and Cincinnati, last year.

Neither has had an especially satisfying season so far in 2025, but Khachanov has shown signs of turning it around lately. He made the semis in Halle, the quarters at Wimbledon, and beat Casper Ruud in his run to the semis in Toronto.

That would seem to make Khachanov well-placed to pull an upset over Zverev, who, last we saw, was exiting in the first round at Wimbledon and talking about how alone he felt on court. According to him, though, that early loss may have been just what he needed. While Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz skipped Toronto after making the Wimbledon final, Zverev, after a pit stop at the Rafa Nadal Academy, was ready to go.

“I had quite a lot of time off,” Zverev said. “I could rest for a week completely without doing anything, and then I had a lot of time to train. So it was, yeah, it was a good thing for me to play here.”

Perhaps more problematic for Khachanov, Zverev also says that, after needing some time to get used to the fast courts and balls in Canada, his game is coming around.

“Today was definitely the first time I actually felt the ball well on the racquet,” he said after beating Alexei Popyrin on Sunday night. “I know that the conditions can fit me very well.”

Zverev and Khachanov are similar. They’re both tall, have big serves, and like to rally. Zverev has had the edge because he’s steadier; Khachanov’s whippy forehand is prone to shanks. He’ll need to find something better than his norm to turn their recent results around. Winner: Zverev

🚨 Today on Tennis Channel: Victoria Mboko vs. Elena Rybakina

🚨 Today on Tennis Channel: Alexander Zverev vs. Karen Khachanov

🚨 Today on Tennis Channel: Naomi Osaka vs. Clara Tauson