Dan Evans in action against Novak Djokovic at the Monte Carlo Masters 2021 (ATP)
The world No. 26 Dan Evans locks horns with the world No. 18 Karen Khachanov in the round of 16 of the Vienna Open.
The current British No. 2 started the season on a positive note as he made it to the semifinals in Sydney. He struggled to replicate his performance in the tournaments that followed. He won a Challenger event in Nottingham but failed to produce impressive results on the tour. Evans found form in the Citi Open and made it to the quarterfinals. He used the momentum to reach the semifinals in the Canadian Open that followed. However, his run was ended by Pablo Carreno Busta. In the San Diego Open, he made it to the semis. Prior to Vienna, Evans reached the quarterfinals in Antwerp but went down fighting against the eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The veteran player began his Vienna Open campaign against Oscar Otte in the round of 32. Evans produced a solid display to finish the match in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
The Russian tennis pro has had an impressive season thus far. However, a title has eluded him. In Adelaide, he made it to the finals but lost to Gael Monfils. In the Qatar Open, he reached the semifinals where he lost to Roberto Bautista Agut. He made it to another semifinal at the Serbia Open. Khachanov reached three consecutive quarterfinals at the Libema Open, the Halle Open, and the German Open. He made it to the semifinals of the US Open and this was certainly his standout performance.
In the first round, the 26-year-old defeated Jeffrey John Wolf in a closely-contested two-set affair. The match ended 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 in favor of Khachanov.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 2-0 in favor of Evans. He came back from a set down in their last meeting at the 2020 European Open to eventually win the match 3-6, 7-6, 6-4.
Prediction: Karen Khachanov to win in three sets.
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