Australian Open 2024: Jannik Sinner vs Karen Khachanov preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Fixture: (4) Jannik Sinner vs (15) Karen Khachanov

Tournament:Australian Open 2024

Round: Fourth Round

Date: Monday, January 22

Venue: Melbourne Park, Australia

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: A$86,500,000

Jannik Sinner vs Karen Khachanov preview

Fourth seed Jannik Sinner of Italy will take on 15th seed Karen Khachanov of Russia in the fourth round of the Australian Open. It should be an absorbing clash, as both players have been in reasonably good form in the tournament so far.

Sinner, in fact, has been in rampaging form, as he has not dropped a set in his three matches so far. He beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 7-5, 6-3, in the first round. He then thrashed Jesper De Jong 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, before dismantling Sebastian Baez 6-0, 6-1, 6-3, to reach the fourth round.

Khachanov, meanwhile, beat Daniel Altmaier 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in the first round. He then beat Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round and Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(5) in the third round. His road to the fourth round, thus, was not as smooth as Sinner’s, but he has still managed to stay afloat till the second week of the tournament.

Jannik Sinner vs Karen Khachanov head-to-head

The two players have played each other three times, with Sinner leading the head-to-head 2-1. All those matches, incidentally, took place on hard courts.

Jannik Sinner vs Karen Khachanov odds

(Odds will be updated once they are released)

Jannik Sinner vs Karen Khachanov prediction

Sinner is a more evolved player these days. He does not rely on brute force now to play his groundstrokes and relies more on playing the angles well. In addition to that, he ventures forward to the net more often and finishes points with volleys. Sinner’s volleying skills have also improved a good deal of late.

Khachanov, meanwhile, has a powerful serve and has totaled 54 aces in his three matches so far. However, Machac targeted his backhand repeatedly in their match, but the Russian defended well through that wing. The 22-year-old Italian might target Khachanov’s backhand again with his inside-out forehand, which is one of his most powerful shots.

With the kind of form Sinner is in, Khachanov should find it very difficult to go past him. He might even struggle to take more than a set off the Italian on Monday.

Pick: Sinner to win in four sets.