Monte-Carlo R3 previews and predictions: Medvedev vs. Khachanov, De Minaur vs. Popyrin

Karen Khachanov will get a first crack at Daniil Medvedev on clay, while Aussies Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin do battle at the Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday. Spots in the quarterfinals are on the line.

(4) Daniil Medvedev vs. Karen Khachanov

World No. 17 Karen Khachanov hasn’t had much luck against countryman and world No. 5 Daniil Medvedev recently–and by “not much” I mean basically none at all. Khachanov hasn’t beaten Medvedev since 2018. It has mostly been good news for Medvedev when Khachanov is on the other side of the net. But it’s worth noting that they have never played on clay. Each of their previous matches has been on hard courts; Medvedev, of course, is a self-proclaimed hard-court specialist.

Khachanov has kept their two most recent matches competitive and given Medvedev’s spotty record on clay (he’s 28-26 lifetime on the surface), the world No. 17 may have a better chance at getting a win over his Davis Cup teammate than he usually does. Medvedev’s runs on clay tend to be streaky. He won the Masters 1000 event in Rome last year and then promptly lost in the first round of the French Open. Look for the higher-ranked Russian to find a way through.

Cheryl pick: Medvedev in 3

Ricky pick: Khachanov in 3

(11) Alex de Minaur vs. Alexei Popyrin

Alex de Minaur is hovering just outside the top 10 at the No. 11 spot. He has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season that has included a final in Rotterdam (lost to Jannik Sinner) and the title in Acapulco. The problem for the Aussie is that clay is by far his worst surface, on which he has a losing record. He is off to a good start in Monte-Carlo, though with, an emphatic win over Stan Wawrinka in the first round and a scrappy one over Tallon Griekspoor in the second.

While De Minaur has been less than convincing on the dirt in his career, he is generally playing well right now. Alexei Popyrin, who is ranked 46th in the world, also had a good start to the season–but his countryman is just a better overall player. This one might be more competitive than their ranking would suggest, but expect De Minaur to pull through.

Cheryl pick: De Minaur in 3

Ricky pick: De Minaur in 2