Karen Khachanov joins star-studded Barcelona Open player field

Rising Russian star Karen Khachanov will play at the Barcelona Open this year. The 22-year-old is set to make his fourth consecutive main draw appearance at the Barcelona event. Khachanov debuted at the Spanish ATP 500 clay-court event in 2016 when he won two qualifying matches to make the main draw.

Back then, the Russian beat Slovenias Aljaz Bedene in the first round and home-favorite Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round before he lost to Ukraines Alexander Dolgopolov in the round-of-16. Khachanov blew a great chance to reach the Barcelona semi-final in his second appearance as he lost to Argentine Horacio Zeballos in the quarter-final two years ago.

The 22-year-olds last Barcelona campaign ended in the round-of-16 after a loss suffered to Belgian star David Goffin. Khachanov, who is enjoying his career-high ranking of No. 11 in the world, is expected to be joined by multiple top-20 players in Barcelona this year.

The Barcelona event is set to feature a strong player field as 17-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, 2018 French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem, 2014 US Open champion Kei Nishikori, 2018 NextGen ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and 2013 French Open runner-up David Ferrer have been also confirmed for the tournament.

Karen Khachanov joins Barcelona field. https://t.co/W7HUUYyL4q Michal Samulski (@MichalSamulski) January 11, 2019 The Barcelona Open is due to be held from April 22-28.

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