Bautista Agut Bounces Khachanov To March On At Wimbledon

Entering the season, Roberto Bautista Agut had never made a major quarter-final. But now, the No. 23 seed will have a chance to reach his second of the year after upsetting No. 10 seed Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-1 in the third round of Wimbledon on Friday.

Bautista Agut has proven a tough customer for World No. 9 Khachanov at the Grand Slams this year, having now defeated him in straight sets in Melbourne and London. The 31-year-old, a nine-time ATP Tour champion, proved too solid for the rising Russian, making only 11 unforced errors in the match, while also striking 28 winners. Khachanov hit the same number of winners, but made 14 more unforced errors in their one-hour, 53-minute clash.

In the next round the Spaniard will face Benoit Paire, who wrestled away the momentum from Czech qualifier Jiri Vesely late in the third round en route to a 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-6(2) win over two hours and 45 minutes on Court 18. Paire, the No. 28 seed from France, struck 78 winners — including 19 aces — past Vesely, who had led by a set and 5/4 in the second-set tie-break.

The 30-year-old Paire, who advanced to the fourth round of a Grand Slam championship for the fourth time (also at 2017 Wimbledon), has lifted two ATP Tour trophies in 2019 at the Grand Prix Hassan II (d. Andujar) and at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon (d. Auger-Aliassime).

Bautista Agut has won all six of the pair’s previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, with only two of those matches going past straight sets. One of those two battles came at The Championships in 2015, when Bautista Agut overcame a two-set deficit against the Frenchman to advance after two hours and 37 minutes.

There will be a lot at stake for both men, as they have combined to reach one Grand Slam quarter-final in 60 previous appearances. Paire is into the fourth round of a major for the fourth time.