Russia's Aslan Karatsev reacts as he plays against France's Adrian Mannarino during their men's singles match on day five of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 21, 2022. - -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- (Photo by William WEST / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- (Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
The World No. 39 Aslan Karatsev faces a tricky challenge in the first round of the Metz 2022 as he takes on Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.
The Russian tennis pro began the year with a bang. He won the Sydney International and reached the third round of the Australia Open. However, things began to go downhill from thereon. He failed to make it beyond the second round in most of the tournaments he played.
His best results came at the Open 13, the Swedish Open, and the German Open, where he progressed to the quarterfinals before bowing out. The 29-year-old is coming into this tournament on the back of a first-round exit at the US Open. He was bettered by Italian veteran Fabio Fognini in a gripping five-set affair.
The Italian tennis pro has also not had a year to remember. He reached the quarterfinals in Sydney before being ousted by Karatsev. At the Australian Open, Sonego made it to the third round like Karatsev before facing defeat. After a quarter-final run at the Cordoba Open, Sonego managed to get his best result this year as he reached the Argentina Open semifinal.
The 27-year-old reached the third round in both the French Open and Wimbledon. Sonego also made it to the quarterfinals at Stuttgart. Once again like Karatsev, Sonego crashed out of the US Open in the first round. He lost to Jordan Thompson in five sets.
Aslan Karatsev has a healthy 3-0 lead in the head-to-head against Lorenzo Sonego. The Russian star has defeated his Italian counterpart on a couple of occasions this year.
Prediction: Lorenzo Sonego in three sets.
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