Australian Open R4 previews and predictions: Sinner vs. Khachanov, Tsitsipas vs. Fritz

Red hot Jannik Sinner will face his first big test of 2024 against 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Karen Khachanov on Sunday afternoon, while Taylor Fritz battles Stefanos Tsitsipas for a spot in the Australian Open quarters.

(4) Jannik Sinner vs. (15) Karen Khachanov

Nobody has looked better through the first week of play than Italy’s Jannik Sinner–and that includes defending champion Novak Djokovic. The world No. 4 has looked fresh, comfortable and he hasn’t dropped a set yet. Of course, Karen Khachanov represents a far more difficult test than Sinner has faced yet in Melbourne. If Sinner’s form holds up, though, it may only guarantee that the match is more compelling than his first three against Botic van de Zandschulp, Jesper de Jong, and Sebastian Baez–not necessarily producing a different result.

Khachanov has had to fight for it in his first three rounds. The Russian, who came somewhat out of nowhere to make the semifinals in Melbourne last year, dropped one set each to Daniel Altmaier, Aleksandar Kovacevic, and Tomas Machac. Khachanov hasn’t played poorly overall this week, but he has been a little inconsistent and streaky–a situation Sinner will gladly exploit given the opportunity.

Sinner has a slight 2-1 lifetime record over Khachanov, but the two men haven’t played since 2021. Sinner in particular is a different player now than he was then.

Cheryl pick: Sinner in 4

Ricky pick: Sinner in 3

(12) Taylor Fritz vs. (7) Stefanos Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas has performed quite well in Melbourne over the course of his career. He has been to three semifinals and last year he made the final, where he lost to Djokovic. He hasn’t looked his normal self so far in 2024, though. He looked particularly vulnerable against Jordan Thompson in the second round. Tsitsipas won in four, but it wasn’t an easy four sets.

Taylor Fritz has been tested this fortnight, as well. The world No. 12 was taken to five sets in his opener against Facundo Diaz Acosta, but he showed improvement in his form against Hugo Gaston and Fabian Marozsan. Fritz has had a rough go of it at majors over the course of his career. The American has suffered some wild early-round losses in the past few seasons, but he has a real opportunity to make his way to the quarters this time around.

Fritz only has one win over Tsitsipas, but it was their most recent meeting–surprisingly coming on the clay courts of Monte-Carlo. And while the Greek has been far more consistent in the majors, he has been far from convincing so far this tournament. This one could well go the distance.

Cheryl pick: Tsitsipas in 5

Ricky pick: Fritz in 5