After missing the first round, Khachanov faced qualifier Alex Bolt in the second round. The Russian took the opponent’s serve at the start of the match and consolidated his advantage on his own serve, bringing the score to 2-0. Despite the fact that Karen then faced several break points on his serve, he repelled them all and won the set.
Bolt kept pace with Khachanov for most of the second set, but fell apart near the end. Karen won the last three games of the second set and with them the match with a score of 6-4, 6-4, earning her first victory since the French Open.
MacDonald scored a hard-fought three-set victory over Shang Juncheng to advance to the second round, where Kimmer Coppejans awaited. The American led 4-1 in the first set, but lost the next five games to lose the set.
MacDonald took a 3-0 lead in the second set and this time held the advantage to win the set and tie the match. He started the third set the same way, leading 4-0. Shortly after, he finished the match and won with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Khachanov leads MacDonald 3-0 in head-to-head matches. He won their previous meeting at the 2022 Qatar Open in straight sets.
Match predictions
Khachanov picked up his first win since returning from injury by defeating Bolt. He fought off all 10 break points he faced and showed off his strong serve as well as his solid shots from the baseline.
MacDonald should have beaten Coppejans in straight sets, but he lost control of the match in the first game. He recovered quite quickly and played better until the end of the match.
Khachanov will be confident in his chances against MacDonald given their matchups. He serves better and has a more consistent shot. However, the Russian is still on the verge of returning to his best form and lacks practice.
MacDonald will be looking to earn his first victory in this clash, but at the moment he has two three-set matches in Zhuhai against not the strongest opponents. Even a slight setback against a player of Khachanov’s caliber could cost him the match. Thus, Khachanov is expected to achieve another victory over the American.
Forecast: Karen Khachanov will win in three sets.
Source: Sport
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