First-round action will continue in Halle on Tuesday, when Sebastian Korda kicks off his campaign against Cristian Garin. Meanwhile, an all-Russian affair features Karen Khachanov and Aslan Karatsev–whose grass-court swings will be abbreviated.
Sebastian Korda vs. Cristian Garin
Korda and Garin will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round one of the Terra Workmann Open on Tuesday. It’s a matchup with an outcome largely dependent on the surface, as Garin may have a slight edge on clay whereas Korda should get the nod on anything else. The 21-year-old American reached the Wimbledon fourth round in his debut last summer and almost advanced to the quarterfinals but lost a five-set marathon to Karen Khachanov. Korda is a solid 16-11 this season and could be seeded at the All-England Club with a decent result in Halle.
Garin is by no means entirely hopeless on the surface, as he also made a run to the second week at Wimbledon last summer. Of course, a lot of that had to do with the competition level; the Chilean’s victories came against Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Marc Polmans, and Pedro Martinez. The draw in Halle is certainly much tougher, and Korda will likely send Garin packing right away.
Pick: Korda in 2
Aslan Karatsev vs. (8) Karen Khachanov
As Russians, Khachanov and Karatsev won’t be taking their talents to Wimbledon in two weeks. Even though ranking points are not being awarded at the All-England Club, Khachanov’s absence will hurt him because he will lose his quarterfinal points from last year. Thus the world No. 23 will be eager to produce a stellar result in Halle. There is no reason why he can’t; he is solid on grass and he is in fine form at the moment with eight matches in his last four tournaments.
The story has not been the same for Karatsev in 2022. He is just 9-13 this season, including 0-4 in his last four matches dating back to Rome. Nothing else bodes well for the world No. 38, either; he is a horrendous 2-7 lifetime on grass and 2-4 in the head-to-head series with Khachanov. It’s hard to see this one even being competitive.
Pick: Khachanov in 2
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