Adelaide International 2023: Daniil Medvedev vs. Karen Khachanov Tennis Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2023 Adelaide International as Daniil Medvedev takes on Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinal on Friday, January 6, 2023.

Daniil Medvedev has made a promising start to his 2023 campaign at the Adelaide International. With two wins under his belt, the former world No. 1 will now battle Karen Khachanov in an all-Russian affair for a spot in the last four. Who will prevail?

Daniil Medvedev had a subpar season in 2022 by his own lofty standards. Losing some very close finals, relinquishing his No.1 ranking, and only winning two ATP titles, have only fuelled his motivation to bounce back strongly in 2023. Medvedev started the year with an incredible retirement win over Lorenzo Sonego. He saved nine set points to win the first set in a tiebreak before his opponent was forced to retire due to injury. But his second-round match against Miomir Kecmanovic was less dramatic, with the Russian putting on a clinic in a 6-0 6-3 win. He will now battle compatriot Karen Khachanov for a place in the semifinals at the Adelaide International.

Karen Khachanov, for his part, scored an eye-catching win over British lefty Jack Draper. The Russian came into the match as the underdog given Draper’s exploits in the 2022 season. But it was the 26-year-old Khachanov who surprisingly dominated the match from start to finish. The eighth seed is looking for another hot start to the year after making the Adelaide International final last season. Will he author another upset against Daniil Medvedev?

Daniil Medvedev leads Karen Khachanov 2-1 in their head-to-head meetings. However, the pair of them have not clashed since the 2019 season when Medvedev defeated Khachanov in straight sets at the Montreal Masters. Their encounter at the Adelaide International will be a much closer encounter than what the odds suggest. Khachanov will be upbeat after his excellent win over Draper and Medvedev hasn’t quite eradicated his lapses in concentration as evidenced in his win over Sonego. But the number three seed is the master of digging out gutsy wins. This should be another one in his resume.