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Third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime exits US Open in second round amid physical distress

The Canadian player cited dizziness and an unprecedented physical reaction during his four-set defeat to Karen Khachanov in New York.

Updated Sep 3, 2026 · 22:18 UTC1 reports

The short version

Men's singles third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was defeated in the US Open second round by unseeded Karen Khachanov.
Auger-Aliassime reported experiencing dizziness and seeing spots during the match, stating he had never felt such symptoms before.
His defeat makes him the highest-seeded men's player eliminated from the tournament thus far.
The match took place amid 30C temperatures in New York, which also saw other seeded players struggle physically.

Karen Khachanov defeated third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the US Open second round.[BBC News]
Auger-Aliassime stated he felt unwell, dizzy, and saw spots beginning a set and a half into the contest.[BBC News]
Auger-Aliassime is the highest-ranked competitor eliminated from the men's singles draw at the tournament to date.[BBC News]
Temperatures in New York reached 30 degrees Celsius on Thursday following several days of rain.[BBC News]
Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti also suffered a physical struggle and lost to Australian wildcard Dane Sweeny.[BBC News]

The precise medical cause of Auger-Aliassime's dizziness remains unconfirmed, though he noted he showed no symptoms prior to the match.[BBC News]