Karen Khachanov vs. Rafael Nadal: Preview and betting tips

A very interesting duel awaits us in the third round. Karen Khachanov, the 30th ranked tennis player on the ATP rankings, will face the immortal Rafa Nadal. How will the match play out?

Khachanov hasn’t had to deal with any major problems at the Australian Open so far. He beat Denis Kudla 3-1, Benjamin Bonzi 3-0. Only in the first match did he have to go to a tiebreak in the fourth set.

Nadal is going through the tournament even more easily. He hasn’t lost a set yet, no one has taken his serve. He beat Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-4 and 6-2 and Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 6-3 and 6-4.

The Spanish tennis player has a lot of motivation in Melbourne. After all, if he dominates the Australian Open, he will become the first player from the big three (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic) to win 21 Grand Slams.

Khachanov, who is almost two metres tall, will certainly rely on his serve, but he will have a very difficult time against Nadal. The Mallorca native can adapt to any opponent and neutralize his strengths.

Nadal, who is currently fifth in the ATP rankings, is the clear favourite. The Russian tennis player is ranked 30th.

Nadal is flawless in the first sets, having dominated it first 6-1 and then 6-2. Khachanov, on the other hand, is off to a slower start. He lost the first set against Kudla, but won the first set 6-4 against Bonzi.

So I expect Nadal to dominate the first set, as well as the whole match.