Australian Open 2023, quarter-finals, Tuesday, 24.01.2023
The Australian Open 2023 has already reached the quarter-finals, now only nuances will decide! The best eight players in Melbourne have been found, are as of now very small steps away from the title.
Early on Tuesday morning, Karen Khachanov and Sebastian Korda will play against each other, two players the experts didn’t really have on their minds for the best rankings.
At Betano, the young US-American is just ahead, but his opponent seems to be more stable than ever before. In my Khachanov Korda tip, I will therefore reveal why I expect a very close, intense affair!
The enormous potential of Sebastian Korda has been known in the tennis circuit for several years. However, we the year 2023 the time when the 22-year-old comes up trumps on the very big stage.
For the first time in his career, the US American has made it to the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam, or rather fought his way there. He had arrived in the tournament after his 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss to Cristian Garin.
So first he beat Yosuke Watanuki 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 before Korda went on to his masterpiece. He faced none other than Daniil Medvedev, and many expected a close match.
But Korda showed his best side and surprised the fans with a great 7-6, 6-3, 7-6. It was not to be his only success against a big player, because in the last 16 the draw brought him Hubert Hurkacz.
3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, after this exciting up and down match, the tiebreak had to decide. Korda held his nerve, celebrating one of the greatest moments of his sporting career.
Although on average only 60% of his first serve comes over the net successfully, he is now one of the eight best players in Melbourne. Now he is hoping for a little revenge against Karen Khachanov.
The two have met three times so far, with the American leading 2-1. Last year he won twice, once 7-5, 7-6, the other time 6-3, 6-4, so why revenge?
Simply because Khachanov won Wimbledon two years ago by a hair’s breadth, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 10-8. This time, our tested bettors are leaning towards Korda, who was defeated at the time.
The odds show an average of 1.70 to 2.10, so point to an interesting exchange of blows. Karen Khachanov has broken free of his curse of always being eliminated in the 3rd round down under.
The Russian is playing very steady tennis here, starting his way with a 7-6, 6-2, 6-0 against Bernabe Zapata Miralles. Two matches followed in which he dropped a set each, but still triumphed confidently in the end.
First up was a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 over Jason Kubler before he put a really strong man in his place in Frances Tiafoe. Khachanov won 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, including his second tiebreak of the tournament.
The third was to follow, in the round of 16 against Yoshihito Nishioka. At 6-0, 6-0, 7-6, the Russian put his opponent to the sword before he was able to relax in the third set.
90% won points on first serve, this was definitely the key to his trouble-free success. The Olympic silver medallist knows exactly how to get through a quarter-final at a Grand Slam.
Not long ago, he was in the top four at the US Open before losing in four sets to Casper Ruud. So he may be a decisive step ahead of Sebastian Korda as he debuts so far ahead.
Is Sebastian Korda just a little bit stronger than Karen Khachanov? The bookmakers certainly think so, but I could hardly find a real favourite in my analysis.
Both are playing strongly in Melbourne, with Korda having knocked out two absolute top stars in Medvedev and Hurkacz. What I could also see: Both are very strong nerves, having won three tiebreaks.
That is also the reason why I expect a close and intense duel on Tuesday, in which the winner will only be found after a few hours. My tip is therefore:
We will see more than 38,5 games!
