A principally stunning quarterfinal lineup within the prime half of the draw shall be featured on the Australian Open on Tuesday. Karen Khachanov goes up towards Sebastian Korda, whereas Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on unseeded Jiri Lehecka.
Listed below are my previews and picks for the 2 matchups.(18) Karen Khachanov vs. (29) Sebastian KordaKhachanov and Korda shall be squaring off for the fourth time of their careers once they collide within the Australian Open quarterfinals on Tuesday. Their solely earlier Grand Slam assembly is not going to quickly be forgotten; Khachanov prevailed 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 after the 2 males broke one another 19 instances all through the match–together with 13 instances within the fifth set alone. Korda took their subsequent two encounters in straight units final season; 6-3, 6-4 on the Cincinnati Masters and 7-5, 7-6(9) on the indoor arduous courts of Antwerp.
The 22-year-old American may also be inspired by his present type; he finished-runner as much as Novak Djokovic a few weeks in the past in Adelaide (even had a championship level) and is now coming off consecutive victories over Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz. Sadly for Korda, he wanted 5 units and virtually three and a half hours to get previous Hurkacz on Monday afternoon. Khachanov, however, routed Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0, 6-0, 7-6(4) in spherical 4. The world No. 20 has quarterfinal slam-winning expertise too, having simply made a run to the 2022 U.S. Open quarterfinals. Korda is unlikely to win this simply, and in one other lengthy, hard-fought battle it’s Khachanov ought to have each the bodily and psychological edge.
Choose: Khachanov in 5
(3) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Jiri LeheckaWith no different top-17 seed nonetheless alive within the prime half of the bracket, Tsitsipas is a substantial favourite to achieve the ultimate and he actually has an honest probability to seize his first Grand Slam title. Attending to the quarterfinals wasn’t straightforward, nevertheless, because the third seed held off Jannik Sinner 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 on Monday night time. That consequence was preceded by straight-set defeats of Quentin Halys, Rinky Hijikata, and Tallon Griekspoor.
Up subsequent for Tsitsipas on Tuesday is Lehecka, who pushed the Greek to a few units final yr in Rotterdam earlier than falling 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. The 21-year-old Czech completed runner-up on the NextGen ATP Finals this previous fall, received 4 matches in his first two occasions this season, and booked his spot within the Aussie Open quarters by beating Borna Coric (6-3, 6-3, 6-3), Chris Eubanks, Cameron Norrie (in 5 units), and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Lehecka clearly isn’t afraid of the large stage and his sport has no apparent weaknesses, so this might be extra aggressive than many expect. That being stated, Tsitsipas is taking part in too nicely and has an excessive amount of expertise on the enterprise finish of slams.
Choose: Tsitsipas in 4
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and in addition maintains his personal tennis web site, The Grandstand. You possibly can observe him on Twitter at @Dimonator.
