US Open 2022: What Karen Khachanov said on Nick Kyrgios's 'handshake & racket break' outburst

Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov understood the outburst shown by his losing opponent Nick Kyrgios in the quarter-final of the ongoing US Open at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday (6) after the pair shook hands at the conclusion of the game that lasted five sets.

Kyrgios could not check his emotions and smashed two rackets near the chair after the handshake. Khachanov was seen at the time greeting the spectators with his racket raised.

The 27-year-old Australian lost the match 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (3), 4-6.

"I mean, it's painful. I think it hurts for him or it would be the same for me if I would lose that match. It's never easy to lose five sets because you give your best, you give your self best throughout the whole match, then it's never easy to accept the defeat. To be honest, I didn't look at him after we shook hands. I saw after the rackets were flying. But I feel the pain for him, yeah," Khachanov, whose best results at a Grand Slam tournament came with reaching the semi-final, said, according to Tennis World.

He will play Norway's Casper Ruud in the semi-final on Saturday (10). It will be their second meeting after the one in 2020 when the Norwegian won in Rome.

Going into the match, Khachanov expected that the crowd would be behind Kyrgios, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Wimbledon this year.

After emerging the winner, he said his experience of playing Rafael Nadal at the 2018 US Open helped him against the Australian opponent.

"Yeah, I was prepared [for the atmosphere]. I was expecting that the crowd would be more for him, that he was the favorite in their eyes.

I don't get upset on that. I played Rafa [Nadal] in 2018. I mean, was pretty similar thing. I knew what to expect. I knew what I have to do, how focused I have to stay. Just to deliver a good match. That's what I did basically," the 26-year-old said.