Alex de Minaur has been outplayed in the Vienna Open semi-finals by an inspired Karen Khachanov, with the comprehensive defeat dealing a grievous blow to the Australian's dogged pursuit of a place in the ATP Finals.
Looking at times flat and clearly still not at his sharpest since his hip injury woes, de Minaur still summoned some fire and pride near the end of a one-sided affair as he succumbed 6-2 6-4 to the Russian, who's in such superb form he could well win a second title in the space of seven days on Sunday.
Khachanov has carried on where he left off in the Almaty Open in Kazakhstan, when he also beat a Sydneysider, Aleksandar Vukic, in the semi-finals on the way to the title.
