"We shook hands like a man and that’s it, it’s over.” Khachanov after match incident with Davidovich Fokina

Russia’s Karen Khachanov has explained the reason behind confronting Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after his quarterfinal win in the Barcelona Open. The ATP 500 event is moving towards the business end, where the remaining players are giving their all to secure the ultimate prize.

Khachanov cemented his place in the semifinal of the competition after beating Davidovich Fokina in the last-eight clash in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-5. The 28-year-old, after the match while talking to the media, admitted that he had a ‘little fight’ with his opponent during the match, and after the game was over, he just wanted to clear things out.

“Sometimes, okay, in the heat of the battle, the players are getting a little bit frustrated, let’s say,” he said after the match. “A little bit emotional, a little bit nervous. In a few games before we were in a little bit of a fight. Look, at the end of the day, I’m here to fight in a fair-play way so we sorted it out at the end. I don’t have any problem with him, to be honest. Okay, we said some things before, but after, we shook hands like a man and that’s it, it’s over.”

Khachanov is now set to face Denmark’s Holger Rune in the last-four clash. Denmark’s tennis star came out on top in the last-eight clash against the defending champion Norway’s Casper Ruud in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-2. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two in professional tennis.