Nicolás Jarry vs Karen Khachanov Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Barcelona

Prediction published on 19/04/2023, 05:30  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 19/04/2023 at 05:48 in Tennis Predictions

Clay court specialist Nicolas Jarry will take on the in-form Karen Khachanov in the Round of 32 at the Barcelona Open on Wednesday afternoon. The Chilean has spent the majority of the year on this surface and has maintained a very good record of 14-4 to date. Jarry comes into this competition following a round of 16 exit at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he looked in good nick but was unable to overcome Stefanos Tsitsipas, losing to the Greek in straight sets. Undoubtedly, Jarry’s best performance of the year came less than a month ago in Santiago, beating the likes of Diego Schwartzman and Juan Pablo Varillas on his way to lifting the title against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the final after a grueling three sets. Here in Barcelona, Jarry took on qualifier Marco Trungellitti in the opening round, easing past the Argentine in straight sets, and now sets his sights on an opponent that got the better of him on this surface back in 2017.

Khachanov will know that his opponent is a much different player from the one he took on in 2017, but the Russian has come a long way since then himself. Currently ranked 11th in the world, Khachanov has been a top 10 regular for the past few years, though he does favour the harder surfaces. Khachanov delivered a record of 9-7 on the clay courts last year, and with this being just his second clay tournament of the year, his record this year reads as 2-1. Courtesy of a buy in the first round, this will be Khachanov’s first match here in Barcelona, following a round of 16 appearance in the Monte Carlo Masters last week, where he overcame Alejandro Fokina and Ilya Ivashka but eventually bowed out to the formidable Daniil Medvedev after a three-set battle. Coming up against an opponent that has prioritized this surface over the past few months, Khachanov will know that this is going to be a tricky assignment, and he will have to be at his absolute best to progress to the quarter-final.