Karen Khachanov strengthened the Lions' advantage
The opening match of the second day of the third International team tournament "North Palmyra Trophies" was the Russian Karen Khachanov (Team “Lions”) vs Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis (“Sphinxes”) – 12-9 (3/4, 6/2, 3/3).
With his victory, Khachanov helped the team increase its lead in the team competition 25-28.
"If you compare it to official tournaments, where you go out fully focused on each match, there’s more pressure and more nervousness. Here, the format is intense, but it’s different. You’re still playing for the team, wanting to contribute to the overall result. Today when I played, I kept hearing from all corners, «Come on, ace!» It felt like I was playing a Grand Slam final. But all of that motivated me and made me focus even more at certain moments. At the same time, I tried to find moments where I could play for the crowd. Not so much in a relaxed way, but doing some tricks", – Karen said to the press.
With his victory, Khachanov helped the team increase its lead in the team competition 25-28.
"If you compare it to official tournaments, where you go out fully focused on each match, there’s more pressure and more nervousness. Here, the format is intense, but it’s different. You’re still playing for the team, wanting to contribute to the overall result. Today when I played, I kept hearing from all corners, «Come on, ace!» It felt like I was playing a Grand Slam final. But all of that motivated me and made me focus even more at certain moments. At the same time, I tried to find moments where I could play for the crowd. Not so much in a relaxed way, but doing some tricks", – Karen said to the press.
