The world No. 18 Karen Khachanov will have his task cut out as he takes on a rampaging Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the Astana Open on Friday.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion has been in sublime form as of late. He recently won the Tel Aviv Open without dropping a set and has continued his rich vein of form so far in Astana as well.
The Serbian legend began his campaign at the Astana Open against Cristian Garin. The Chilean was completely outclassed by Djokovic as the former world No. 1 came out victorious in straight sets 6-1, 6-1. In the round of 16, Djokovic faced world No. 34 – Botic van de Zandschulp. The experienced campaigner made light work of the Dutch No. 1 and won the match 6-3, 6-1 in just 71 minutes.
The Russian tennis pro managed to reach the US Open semi-finals last month and it was the first time he progressed to that stage at a major event.
In Astana, Khachanov produced a fine display of tennis to get past Maxime Cressy in the first round. In the second round, Khachanov faced the former US Open champion Marin Cilic. The Croatian veteran bagged the first set with ease and it seemed that it was only a matter of time before Khachanov’s run at the Astana Open would draw to a close. However, the 26-year-old came back with renewed vigor and managed to dominate the second and third sets to eventually win the match 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
The head-to-head scoreline stands at 6-1 in favor of the Serbian.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.
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