TennisSection previews the 2022 Qatar Open as Roberto Bautista Agut takes on Karen Khachanov in the semifinal on Friday, February 18th, 2022.
Even in the absence of top seed Denis Shapovalov, there is no shortage of star power and blockbuster matches. And the semifinal matchup between Roberto Bautista Agut and Karen Khachanov should deliver from a neutral standpoint. So who will reach the Qatar Open final?
In his second successive match at the 2022 Qatar Open, Roberto Bautista Agut delivered another total shellacking, this time towards compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Following his 6-0 6-1 win over Andy Murray on Wednesday, the experienced Spaniard dropped just two games in the last eight. After this jaw-dropping run, it will take something out of the ordinary to stop Bautista Agut from clinching his second title in Doha. The 33-year-old reiterated in his post-match interview that he loved playing on these courts. He is now on the verge of reaching his third successive final here after winning the championship in 2019 and finishing runner-up last year.
Karen Khachanov, meanwhile, scored another win over Marin Cilic to advance into the semifinal of the Qatar Open. Cilic had lost to the Russian at the Adelaide International last month, but was foiled at his attempt to earn revenge. Cilic let slip a set lead, and had his chances in the opening game of the second set but wasted a pair of break points. Khachanov was off the hook and went on to take the next two sets, including a close decider. But it doesn’t always sound like a good omen for Khachanov. He lost in the finals of Adelaide to Gael Monfils after beating Cilic. So could he suffer similar fate against Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday?
Roberto Bautista Agut leads Karen Khachanov 5-2 in their head-to-head. The Spaniard has won their last two meetings including a hard court match at the Cincinnati Masters in 2020. Khachanov is playing fantastically well in 2022 as he aims to return to the upper echelons of the game. But given the form that Bautista Agut has displayed in his two matches at the 2022 Qatar Open, I find it hard to fathom a Khachanov win on Friday. The second seed is perhaps the only player in the draw that can absorb Khachanov’s power.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Roberto Bautista Agut to win in 3 sets.
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