Nick Kyrgios vs Karen Khachanov
25th January 0000hrs
Tennis – Australian Open – 3rd Round
Pick Kyrgios
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 4/9 odds taken 17:53 GMT, Thursday 23rd January
In Cincinnati last year, Nick Kyrgios faced Russia’s Karen Khachanov and lost. In the fixture, Australia’s Kyrgios had a major blow out as he let his temper and frustration get the better of him. That side of him came out again in the second round of this Australian Open. Fascinatingly now, a win would likely set him up with a fourth round clash against his “salty” foe Rafael Nadal.
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Can Kyrgios keep his cool in Melbourne heat?
There is never a dull moment when Nick Kyrgios is on the court. He opened his Australian Open 2020 account with a straight sets win over Italy’s Lorezno Sonego, although the Australian needed a tie-break to settle the second and third sets. That moved him through to a second round contest against veteran Frenchman Gilles Simon.
Kyrgios was untouchable for the first hour and so of the match, not giving his opponent a whiff and running up a 2-0 lead. But then his concentration went, Kyrgios got angry with his support team and he ended up losing the third set. But to his credit, Kygrios pulled himself back together to settle the match in the fourth set. He even had time to mock old foe, Rafael Nadal, during the match.
The meeting between Krygios and Khachanov in Cincinnati last year is the one previous meeting between the two youngsters. Kyrgios had taken the opening set in that match as well. The Australian is ranked lower in the world at 26th than current world number 17 Khachanov. Kyrgios and Nadal don’t get along very well, to say the least. That’s who Kyrgios could meet in the fourth round if he wins this match.
Can Khachanov upset Kyrgios again?
Russian youngster Karen Khachanov is not an easy player for Kyrgios to be facing. However, the way that he has progressed through this tournament so far, does send favouritism towards the Australian. Khachanov opened with a first round win over Spaniard Mario Vilella Martinez but did drop a set en-route to success.
Then he was pushed to a five set match against Sweden’s Mikael Ymer in the second round. That was only settled on a very close super tie break as well. So he has not been winning convincingly and that extra time out on the court so early in the tournament, indicates that he could be struggling to put his full game together at the moment.
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The Russian is going up against a tough player here. The track record in his career, albeit a very short one, has not seen Khachanov get past the third round of the Australian Open yet. This is his fourth try in the main draw. Khachanov did turn out at the ASB Classic earlier this month and was third seed there, but lost his first match against Australia’s John Millman after having won the opening set.
Nick Kyrgios vs Karen Khachanov Betting Advice
The serve of Kyrgios was at times, totally unplayable in his second round match. He had his first serve going superbly well and that is a big weapon that he needs to have working against Karen Kachanov. While the win for Kyrgios is not off the table, he’s not a payer to trust to concentrate fully.
Key Facts – Nick Kyrgios vs Karen Khachanov Betting Tip
- Nick Kyrgios lost his one previous match against Khachanov
- Nick Kyrgios is ranked 26th, Khachanov 17th in the world
- Karen Khachanov has dropped 3 sets in his 2 matches so far
The pick has to be Kyrgious for this match, but it’s worth backing him to drop a set along the way. There just hasn’t been consistency in Khachanov’s performances this season to suggest that he can take three sets against a supremely competitive player. Kyrgios 3-1 in set betting looks a sound proposition.
The best betting odds for Nick Kyrgios vs Karen Khachanov
Nick Kyrgios to win: 4/9 at Bet365
Karen Khachanov: 7/4 at Bet365
