Andrey Rublev vs Karen Khachanov Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Monte Carlo Masters

Prediction published on 12/04/2023, 12:45  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 12/04/2023 at 17:44 in Tennis Predictions

The ATP Monte Carlo Tournament is hotting up as we head into the third round, and in a battle of the heavyweights, we see Andrey Rublev take on Karen Khachanov on Thursday afternoon. Currently ranked sixth in the world, Rublev comes into this tournament in search of the 14th major title of his career. The Russian has been consistent this year, following up on his quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open with a runners-up trophy in Dubai, where he came up just short against the formidable Daniil Medvedev. While not his favorite surface, Rublev has faired well on the clay courts in recent times, producing a record of 14-6 last year and 9-5 the year before. This is his first clay court tournament of the year, and thanks to a first-round buy, Rublev has only played one match so far here in Monte Carlo against Jaume Munar in the last round. The Russian didn’t look like his comfortable self in that match but fought hard to secure a three-set win in the end (4-6 6-2 6-2). Rublev has never taken on this opponent on this surface despite meeting five times in the past and will know that he has hit work cut out to come away with a win in this one. 

Meanwhile, Karen Khachanov is in excellent form after reaching the semi-final of the Miami Masters last month. In that tournament, Khachanov beat a few notable opponents, such as Jiri Lehecka and Stefanos Tsitsipas, but was unable to overcome the eventual tournament winner, Daniil Medvedev. Kachanov is 15-6 for the year and, like his opponent, makes his first clay court tournament appearance of the year here in Monte Carlo; however, he will benefit from having played an additional match to familiarize himself with the surface. Khachanov defeated Alejandro Fokina in straight sets in his tournament opener and followed up with another straight-set win over Ilya Ivashka in the last round. Being countrymen, these two players know each other very well, and Khachanov currently leads their personal duel 3-2, with his last win coming back in 2021.