Novak Djokovic will continue his Cincinnati campaign during third-round action against Pablo Carreno Busta on Thursday. Karen Khachanov and Lucas Pouille are also bidding for a spot in the quarterfinals.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (Q) Pablo Carreno Busta
Djokovic and Carreno Busta will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers and for the third time at the Masters 1000 level when they clash in round three of the Western & Southern Open on Thursday night. Both of their previous meetings have come in Monte-Carlo, where Djokovic got the job done 6-0, 6-1 in 2014 and 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in 2017. Another round of 16 showdown is unlikely to produce anything different, as the top-ranked Serb is in outstanding form right now. Coming off his second Grand Slam title of the year at Wimbledon, he won his Cincinnati opener 7-5, 6-1 over Sam Querrey.
A third-round appearance at a Masters 1000 tournament is nothing new for Carreno Busta, but right now it constitutes a stellar result. For one, the Spaniard has slumped to 53rd in the rankings due to both physical problems and general poor play. Secondly, he had to qualify just to get into the main draw. Carreno Busta accomplished that feat by beating Marius Copil and J.J. Wolf, after which he ousted Gilles Simon and John Isner. But this is a bad matchup for the underdog, who does not counter-punch as well as Djokovic and obviously cannot hit the No. 1 seed off the court through firepower.
Pick: Djokovic in 2 losing 8-10 games
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(8) Karen Khachanov vs. Lucas Pouille
Khachanov somehow managed to tune out Nick Kyrgios’ latest histrionics to battle past the combustible Australian 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-2 on Wednesday night. The ninth-ranked Russian has been unable to string together consistent results since last fall, but the win over Kyrgios gives him a chance to do just that during this North American hard-court summer. Last week in Montreal he made a run to the semifinals before falling to red-hot countryman Daniil Medvedev.
Up next for Khachanov is a fourth career contest against Pouille, who trails the head-to-head series 2-1. They faced each other three times in the first half of 2018, when Khachanov prevailed in Marseille and at the French Open to go along with Pouille’s victory in Dubai. They have gone in mostly difference directions since that point in time, as the Frenchman has slumped just a bit to No. 31 in the world. Pouille has advanced in Cincinnati with straight-set defeats of Denis Kudla and Denis Shapovalov, but Khachanov represents a steep step up in competition from the two Denises–even Shapovalov.
Pick: Khachanov in 3
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WWW?
I have Fed 2-0/Med ml and Fed 2-0/KK ml. Still looking at other matches. Could be some opportunity with the over in the dbls
like Schwartzman a lot today
Like I thought, tailing your picks will end in complete ruin and bankruptcy.
Gaasquet has turned the corner and has the class to best Schwartzman. This will be close
Yes, so right about Gasquet.
Nishioka aiming for Japan #1 😀
Joker routine, and Kachanov in 2.