Carlos Alcaraz is into the second round of the Vienna Open after an epic victory over Karen Khachanov.

Alcaraz is a wildcard at the Vienna Open, his first tournament since suffering a shock loss to Zizou Bergs in his second match of the Shanghai Masters. He now meets the winner of the match between ​​Jurij Rodionov and Nikoloz Basilashvili in the Austrian capital.

But Alcaraz is only into the last 16 because of a superb performance against Khachanov, who pushed the Spaniard all the way. The pair played out a thrilling two-hour, four-minute battle before the Spanish star triumphed 6-4, 7-6(7-5). And not only was it an impressive show of resilience from Alcaraz, but he has also kept alive a superb streak thanks to the victory.

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Carlos Alcaraz continues stunning ATP 500 streak at the Vienna Open

After knocking out his Russian ATP rival from the Vienna Open, Alcaraz is now on a 22-0 winning streak at ATP 500 tournaments. He last lost at that level to Holger Rune in the final of the 2025 Barcelona Open.

And that isn’t the only impressive winning run that the world number three has just extended. He has just improved his head-to-head record against Khachanov to 7-0, which represents the first player against whom he has won his first seven matches.

But the Russian certainly deserves credit for the part he played in their latest clash, which was filled with exceptional rallies and many world-class winners. Ultimately, however, it was the Spaniard who used his ability and experience at the very top to grind out an important victory.

Coco Gauff recreates Carlos Alcaraz training method

Incidentally, while Alcaraz was strutting his stuff on the hard indoor courts of the Vienna Open, WTA superstar Coco Gauff was following in his footsteps on the practice court. The American ace has not been in action since the China Open earlier this month, but she has secured a place at the WTA Finals.

And she has just shared insight into her training, which is reminiscent of the training that Alcaraz undertook when he was returning from his wrist injury. The ATP icon mimicked hitting balls with a stringless and partly broken racket, with Gauff now utilising a similar method.

And it’s clear that she was inspired by her male counterpart, having shared a video of herself purposely missing balls on poles on her Instagram story with the humorous caption: “The type of stuff my coach makes me do when I’m tryna be nonchalant. @ Carlos Alcaraz look what you have done smh (shaking my head).”