Kitzbuhel Open 2022: Aslan Karatsev vs. Dusan Lajovic Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Kitzbuhel Open as Aslan Karatsev takes on Dusan Lajovic in the second round on Wednesday, July 27th, 2022.

Aslan Karatsev will look to build on his recent resurgence at this week’s Croatia Open. But he faces a tough proposition in DusanLajovic. The Serbian one-hander has a fine record in these parts, will he claim the win over the much-improved Karatsev?

Aslan Karatsev seems to have a turned a corner in the last couple of weeks. After a disastrous start to his European clay swing in early April, he looked a shadow of the player that took the ATP Tour by storm during the course of the 2021 season. Karatsev, simply put, had a forgettable first half of 2022. Perhaps the only chink of sunlight was that title win in Sydneyduring the opening week of the ATP season. Since then, everything went downhill – his confidence, ranking, and even his motivation. It will be interesting to see if he has managed to steer his campaign back on track at the Kitzbuhel Open after two decent runs in Bastad and Hamburg, reaching the quarterfinals in both tournaments.

Dusan Lajovic, meanwhile, has also seen his ranking plummet considerably in 2022. With just nine wins from 29 matches so far, things have not been looking rosy for the former World No. 23. And on the backdrop of this appalling stat, there is a distinct possibility he may fall outside the world’s top 100 before the end of the year. Lajovic has a mountain to climb to return to the top 30 again. His best tennis has clearly deserted him, but every once in a while he is capable of serving up a spectacular off that elegant one hander. Can he do so the Kitzbuhel Open?

Aslan Karatsev and Dusan Lajovic have not clashed on the ATP Tour. Karatsev was minor name on the ATP Tour before the start of last season, but his achievements in the last 12 months probably outweigh those of Lajovic’s. But nonetheless, the Serbian’s longevity is quite admirable. This should be an entertaining battle and I have been impressed by Karatsev’srecent renaissance. While it may be too early to say Karatsev is back, he should be back to winning ways at the Kitzbuhel Open.