Karen Khachanov vs Francisco Cerundolo Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Beijing Open

Prediction published on 28/09/2024, 07:38  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 28/09/2024 at 08:04 in Tennis Predictions

Seventh seed Karen Khachanov has a tough match in round two of the China Open. He faces unseeded Francisco Cerundolo with the winner going into the quarter-finals. Here's our match prediction.

Khachanov is the world number 27 but up a place in the live rankings. In the Live ATP Race, the Russian is 29th and just one place above his opponent. Cerundolo will go ahead of him in the Live Race if winning this match.

Round one of this Beijing tournament saw Khachanov beat lucky loser Roberto Carballes Baena in straight sets. That was a welcome win after a poor run on hard courts that had seen him lose his last three matches.

He leads Cerundolo 6-0 in previous matches with four wins this year. Their most recent match was in Cincinnati with Cerundolo only winning three games, all in the second set. He leads Cerundolo 4-0 on hard courts.

Khachanov hasn't won two successive matches in the main draw of a hard court tournament since Miami in March but did win the Doha hard court tournament this year.

Francisco Cerundolo is at 31st in the latest ranking list but can go as high as 28th if beating Khachanov. He's shown some good form on hard courts in recent weeks with wins over Jack Draper and Casper Ruud.

Round one of this China Open saw him beat qualifier Jakub Mensik in straight sets. The  first went to a tie-break but Cerundolo only conceded one game in the next. We tip Khachanov to win this match.