January 14, 2019 - 12:28 AMT
Karen Khachanov starts Australian Open with victory

Russian tennis player of Armenian descent Karen Khachanov beat German Peter Gojowozyk 3-6 6-3 6-4 6-3 in the first round of the Australian Open, L'equipe reports.

Khachanov, 22, enjoyed an impressive breakthrough season in 2018, climbing to world No 11 – having started the season ranked 45th – and winning the biggest title of his career at the Paris Masters in November.

The Russian N1's success in the French capital, where he defeated four top 10 players including top seed Novak Djokovic in the final, was his third title of the year following wins at the Marseille Open and Kremlin Cup.

Khachanov will face Tennys Sandgren or Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round.

Photo. Reuters