Karen Khachanov vs Rafael Nadal: Will it be Another Solid Victory for the Spaniard?

It's hard to find a more challenging opponent than Nadal. There is Medvedev, Zverev and Tsitsipas. All of them have been in plain sight, and you can roughly see what you can expect from this trio. But what Nadal is capable of right now is the question, apparently, of a lot.

Khachanov before the AO-2022 is full of playing practice. The Russian played two tournaments in Adelaide and even reached the final at first. However, he lost to Monfils in two sets. In Melbourne, Karen was stronger than Kudla in four games and Bonzi in three sets. The match against Bonzi lasted just over two hours, and the Russian won the second game against the Frenchman on nil.

We can say whatever we want about Nadal and his form, but so far, the Spaniard has not lost a set in 2022. Before the Australian Open, Rafa won a tournament in Melbourne, beating Berankis, Ruusuvuori and Cressy one by one. Immediately in Melbourne, the world number five was more substantial than Giron and Hanfmann, destroying them both 3:0.

Nadal knows Khachanov very well as they have played each other eight times. The Russian has won only one set against the Spaniards. Unfortunately, since their last meeting, Khachanov has not grown as much as Medvedev, Rublev and Karatsev, his teammates in a previous couple of years. For this reason, Karen is now only the fourth racket in Russia. As his skills haven't improved, there is little doubt that the Russian will play against the fifth-ranked Russian and the tennis legend on Friday. Let's bet on a confident victory of the Spaniard.