A mostly surprising quarterfinal lineup in the top half of the draw will be featured at the Australian Open on Tuesday. Karen Khachanov is going up against Sebastian Korda, while Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on unseeded Jiri Lehecka.
(18) Karen Khachanov vs. (29) Sebastian Korda
Khachanov and Korda will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers when they collide in the Australian Open quarterfinals on Tuesday. Their only previous Grand Slam meeting will not soon be forgotten; Khachanov prevailed 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 after the two men broke each other 19 times throughout the match–including 13 times in the fifth set alone. Korda took their next two encounters in straight sets last season; 6-3, 6-4 at the Cincinnati Masters and 7-5, 7-6(9) on the indoor hard courts of Antwerp.
The 22-year-old American will also be encouraged by his current form; he finished-runner up to Novak Djokovic a couple of weeks ago in Adelaide (even had a championship point) and is now coming off consecutive victories over Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz. Unfortunately for Korda, he needed five sets and almost three and a half hours to get past Hurkacz on Monday afternoon. Khachanov, on the other hand, routed Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0, 6-0, 7-6(4) in round four. The world No. 20 has quarterfinal slam-winning experience too, having just made a run to the 2022 U.S. Open quarterfinals. Korda is unlikely to win this easily, and in another long, hard-fought battle it is Khachanov should have both the physical and mental edge.
Pick: Khachanov in 5
(3) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Jiri Lehecka
With no other top-17 seed still alive in the top half of the bracket, Tsitsipas is a considerable favorite to reach the final and he certainly has a decent chance to capture his first Grand Slam title. Getting to the quarterfinals wasn’t easy, however, as the third seed held off Jannik Sinner 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 on Monday night. That result was preceded by straight-set defeats of Quentin Halys, Rinky Hijikata, and Tallon Griekspoor.
Up next for Tsitsipas on Tuesday is Lehecka, who pushed the Greek to three sets last year in Rotterdam before falling 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. The 21-year-old Czech finished runner-up at the NextGen ATP Finals this past fall, won four matches in his first two events this season, and booked his spot in the Aussie Open quarters by beating Borna Coric (6-3, 6-3, 6-3), Chris Eubanks, Cameron Norrie (in five sets), and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Lehecka clearly isn’t afraid of the big stage and his game has no obvious weaknesses, so this could be more competitive than many are expecting. That being said, Tsitsipas is playing too well and has too much experience at the business end of slams.
Pick: Tsitsipas in 4
WWW?
I really hope Korda wins. Not sure he has the bottle to do so.
Korda in 4; Tpas in 4….and Go USA!!!
The stage is set for an enthralling quarterfinal match between Karen Khachanov and Sebastian Korda at the Australian Open, as these two talented players prepare to square off for the fourth time in their careers.
Their previous Grand Slam encounter, which took place on a different surface, will not soon be forgotten as Khachanov emerged victorious in a five-set thriller, prevailing 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 after the two men broke each other 19 times throughout the match–including 13 times in the fifth set alone. However, Korda managed to take the next two encounters in straight sets last season, one on the outdoor hard courts of Cincinnati Masters and the other on indoor hard courts of Antwerp.
The 22-year-old American will be encouraged by his current form; he finished as a runner-up to Novak Djokovic a couple of weeks ago in Adelaide, even having a championship point, and is now coming off consecutive victories over Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz. Unfortunately for Korda, he needed five sets and almost three and a half hours to get past Hurkacz on Monday afternoon. On the other hand, Khachanov routed Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0, 6-0, 7-6(4) in round four. The world No. 20 has quarterfinal slam-winning experience too, having just made a run to the 2022 U.S. Open quarterfinals.
It is fair to say that this match is poised to be a close and competitive encounter, with both players bringing their A-game to the court. With Korda’s past success on hardcourt and Khachanov’s quarterfinal slam-winning experience, it is difficult to predict a winner. It could come down to who can handle the pressure and maintain their focus in the key moments of the match.
It is difficult to predict the outcome of the match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jiri Lehecka as both players have been playing well in the tournament. Tsitsipas is a top-ranked player and has a lot of experience in Grand Slams, he has reached the semi-finals in Australian Open before and has a great record on hard courts. Lehecka, on the other hand, is an unseeded player and has had a great run in the tournament, he has already defeated some tough opponents to reach the quarterfinals.
It’s worth mentioning that Lehecka has a solid game and could create problems to Tsitsipas with his shots and movement. It could come down to who can handle the pressure better and maintain their focus in the key moments of the match.
In conclusion, Tsitsipas is the favorite to win the match based on his ranking and experience, but Lecheka has already shown that he can make it hard for his opponents, it could be a close match.
Apart from Djokovic last night, the best tennis I have seen in this tournament has been played by Khachanov, both against Tiafoe and Nishioka. I really like Korda, but Karen is my pick to reach the final.
Khachanov is known for having a good record of peaking at the right time and performing well at the Grand Slams, even if his results leading up to the tournament are not always strong. He has a powerful game, with a strong serve and hard-hitting shots, which makes him a tough opponent for any player.
Lehecka is a better chance than you are giving him or what the odds suggest.
Coric, Norri and FAA are no slouches. FAA is partcular threw the kitchen sink at Lecheka after he beat Norrie and still came up short.
Of course, this can turn out to be one-sided but based on everything we have seen, Lehecka is better than a 6/1 chance.
I just looked at KK ‘s results for the last year. They are pretty poor to say the least. Think these runs are flukes.
Some very disappointing matches. I don’t believe in this notion that KK has suddenly become a world beater. His results for the last year are pretty poor. The slam results are the aberration.
Sorry for repetition. Posts keep not appearing then suddenly do.
Good to see Joe posting here again!
Long time no see!😀