Nadal has been in scintillating form so far in the desert so expect him to reach the last four with a straight-sets win.
But whilst he will surely have gained great confidence from his run this week, with his win over Isner particularly impressive, the Spaniard seems almost certain to prove a challenge too far. Khachanov, after a very poor start to the season, has rediscovered the winning touch in Indian Wells, with his decision to switch back to the racquet he used last season surely a factor. A marked improvement will be needed against Nadal. In that match, he made just 54% of his first serves, serving only one ace.
RAFAEL NADAL VS KAREN KHACHANOV FOR FREE
He can also typically rely on his serve for free points, although it let him down against Isner.
In New York, the slow surface gave him time to deliver some thunderous blows, particularly off his forehand, which rivals even Nadal’s for pace and spin. That combination of qualities makes him virtually unplayable when he is at his best.īut Khachanov will surely take confidence from his performance against the Spaniard at the US Open last season in similar conditions. However, what really sets him apart from the nearly every other player on tour, is that he is also one of the best defenders in the sport. But his two-handed backhand is also a phenomenal shot whilst the pace he added to his first serve during the offseason has significantly improved his capabilities from the line.
Nadal’s signature shot is his venomous, top-spin heavy forehand. Isner had lost all three of his previous clashes with Khachanov, who extended that advantage with a 6-4, 7-6 win. He then faced American #1 and eighth seed John Isner, who was runner-up in the desert in 2012. He backed that up by defeating his good friend and compatriot Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-3 in the third round. Khachanov, who also received a first-round bye, started his tournament with a hard-fought 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 win over Feliciano Lopez of Spain, despite having trailed by a break in the decider. Nadal was again largely untroubled, scoring a 6-3, 6-4 win. There he faced Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic, who reached the final at the 2017 Paris Masters. Nadal was equally impressive in dispatching 25th seed Diego Schwartzman in straight-sets, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the fourth round. Since 2019 the team of Karen Khachanov and the team of Rafael Nadal competed in 3 games among which there were 0 winning matches for Karen Khachanov, 0 draws. Nadal, after a first-round bye, began his Indian Wells campaign with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Jared Donaldson, who is working his way back from a knee injury and could not get close to the Spaniard. But Khachanov has pushed Nadal in their last two encounters, which came at the Canadian Open and the US Open last season, where he kept Nadal on the court for over four hours, despite losing both matches. He then crushed Khachanov 6-3, 6-2 at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2018. Their first two clashes came in 2016 at Wimbledon and the China Open, with Nadal winning comfortably in straight sets on both occasions. This will be the sixth meeting between Nadal and Khachanov, in a head-to-head the Spaniard leads 5-0. But the powerful Khachanov cannot be taken lightly. Nadal has enjoyed a fine start to the season, highlighted by a run to the final at the Australian Open, and must surely be accounted the favorite for the title in the Californian desert after the surprise third-round exit of world #1 Novak Djokovic. If you want to see live the match between Nadal and Khachanov, it will be played at 20:30 Melbourne time.Rafael Nadal will hope to keep his quest for a fourth Indian Wells Masters title alive when he takes to the court against Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals. The start of the match is behind schedule after the game between Rafael Nadal and Felix Auger-Aliassime wen to five sets (3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3) and ended late. Of the 8 matches he has only lost 2, so he has won 6 and has only given up 2 sets in his victories. The Russian has a good rhythm this year, he has played 8 matches, including the final of the ATP 250 in Adelaide 1. It must also be said that these clashes date from 20, so it has rained a lot (in some places more than in others) since they last played in December 2019. Rafa Nadal is a tennis player who is good at it, since they have faced each other 5 times and in all 5 the Balearic Islands have won, and in addition they have only lost 1 set against him, but we all have the doubt to see how Rafa arrives, since that with the foot injury we know that he is not 100%.
Nadal in the match against Hanfmann – Source Getty The organizers know this, and that is why they have reserved a place for him in the afternoon session, the one that most people see. Without a doubt, one of the matches on Friday, January 20, will be the duel between Rafa Nadal and Karen Khachanov, number 30 in the world and a very dangerous tennis player.
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