![]() ![]() That means free points will be vital for Khachanov, and we’ve seen in the past that generating them can keep him tight with Nadal. They certainly haven’t been enough to register anything productive, but the hitting style that Khachanov plays with can take the racquet out of even the best players at times. While Khachanov has struggled brutally in pressure moments against Nadal, he’s been able to cause problems for him on frequent occasions. In those matches, seven of seven tiebreakers have gone the way of Nadal, an indicator that Khachanov’s propensity for losing focus in big moments has killed him against a mental warrior in Nadal.ĭoes he have any chance of turning the tide in a massive spot? Shots that would go for winners against most players often won’t against Nadal, and that has caused trouble for Khachanov in the past, as he’s taken just one set in seven meetings against him. Khachanov has totaled 83 errors in that span, and while he can get away with that without much fuss against Kudla and Bonzi, he’ll have to be tighter against one of the best defenders of all time. ![]() However, that type of style leaves him open to a problem he’s dealt with for his whole career, which is spells of loose play. The Russian has hit 107 winners in his first two rounds, which indicates an emphasis on aggressive first strike tennis, which he’ll have to do against Nadal. Both players are strong off the ground, so Khachanov’s effective performance off both wings has served him well. Khachanov has looked really good in his opening rounds, which came against Denis Kudla and Benjamin Bonzi. The Spaniard was simply too good on the ground, creating 16 break points and limiting Hanfmann to two. You’re not going to beat Rafa when he’s putting up those numbers, and Yannick Hanfmann wasn’t able to take any advantage of a far worse serving performance.Īgainst the powerful German, Nadal posted just one ace against five double faults while only making 54% of his first serves. Nadal beat the American Marcos Giron with an absolutely dominant service performance that included a 71% first serve rate and a 68% win rate behind his second serve. The 20-time slam champion hasn’t dropped a set since arriving in Australia for the start of the year, winning the Melbourne Summer Set tournament in three straight-set victories and getting through his first two Aussie Open opponents without any trouble. Rafa Nadal will get his first real test of the Australian Open when he faces Karen Khachanov in the third round. For tips on how to watch tennis, click here. Here is the single tableau from Washington.Rafa Nadal vs. The tournaments in Washington and Los Cabos are part of the North American hard court season, which will culminate with the US Open starting August 29 in New York. The 30-year-old had no chance in the 3: 6, 0: 6 against the Australian Jordan Thompson. The man from Karlsruhe failed in the first round three days after missing out on the final in Kitzbühel in Los Cabos, Mexico. Yannick Hanfmann didn't survive his opening match either. The Munich player lost in round one against Frenchman Benoit Paire in straight sets. Peter Gojowczyk had already retired before the 28-year-old. At the previous US tournaments in Newport (grass) and Atlanta (hard court), Koepfer failed because of his opening opponents.Īfter 2:46 hours, Khachanov converted his second match point, before he had taken Koepfer's serve early in the third set. ![]() ![]() The world number 145, who made it into the main draw as a qualifier, lost to number seven seeded Karen Khachanov from Russia 7: 6 (3), 5: 7, 4: 6. Tennis pro Dominik Koepfer missed the round of 16 at the ATP tournament in Washington. ![]()
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