Watch: Khachanov smashes racket in frustration; nearly hits doubles partner Rublev in Montreal

Karen Khachanov was not having the kind of day he expected. The tennis player lost his cool as he destroyed his racket in a moment of anger during a doubles match at the National Bank Open in Montreal on Saturday. 

The incident was so intense that the broken frame nearly struck his partner Andrey Rublev in the face. The Russian pair faced Italians Matteo Arnaldi and Lorenzo Musetti in the first round of the ATP Masters 1000 event. After dropping the opening set 6-1, the Russians led 2-1 in the second when Khachanov missed a routine return at 30-30 in the fourth game. 

Watch: Khachanov smashes racket in frustration; nearly hits doubles partner Rublev

The error handed the Italians a game point, which they converted. In frustration, Khachanov, who is not having a good form recently, drove his racket into the hard court. It bounced up towards Rublev, coming close enough that a different trajectory could have caused injury. Khachanov then retrieved the racket and smashed it further before handing the remnants to a courtside spectator. 

Despite the outburst, Khachanov and Rublev steadied themselves to claim the second set 6-3. However, they fell short in the match tiebreak, losing 10-6 as Arnaldi and Musetti advanced. The incident drew attention partly because Rublev is typically the player more associated with on-court temper displays. The footage has now gone viral, which has divided users on the internet. 

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