Surprisingly, Dominic Thiem and Karen Khachanov will be going head-to-head for the very first time in their careers when they clash in the semifinals of the Rolex Paris Masters on Saturday. Either way the matchup will produce an unexpected finalist, as Khachanov has never been to a Masters 1000 final and Thiem has never advanced to a Masters 1000 title match on a hard court.
That is not to say that Khachanov’s run has come out of nowhere. The 22-year-old Russian is up to a career-high ranking of 18th in the world and he will reach at least No. 13 even if he loses to Thiem. Khachanov is sporting a 44-22 record for his 2018 campaign following Paris victories over Filip Krajinovic, Matthew Ebden, John Isner, and Alexander Zverev. He outlasted Isner 6-4, 6-7(9), 7-6(8) before taking advantage of a hobbled Zverev 6-1, 6-2 in the quarters.
“I’m just enjoying playing good tennis right now,” Khachanov commented. “Especially the past couple of months. After winning Moscow, honestly, in Vienna it was tough for me to play, emotionally. I’m playing confidently.”
Thiem is picking up some much-needed hard-court confidence in advance of what is an almost-certain appearance in the Nitto ATP Finals. A borderline clay-court specialist, the eighth-ranked Austrian has played a smarter schedule this season and has kept himself fresh for the fall hard-court swing. He recently triumphed in St. Petersburg and so far in Paris has defeated Gilles Simon, a red-hot Borna Coric, and defending champion Jack Sock.
Although Thiem is suddenly playing well indoors, the surface still favors Khachanov–who has been in slightly superior form throughout the week. The last unseeded player remaining in the draw needed only one hour and 10 minutes to dispose of Zverev, while Thiem is coming off tough three-setters against both Coric and Sock.
Pick: Khachanov in 3
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