Australian Open: Tiafoe vs Khachanov Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Australian Open as Frances Tiafoe takes on Karen Khachanov in the third round on Friday, January 20, 2023.

16th seed Frances Tiafoe could have his hands full in his quest to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open. The 24-year-old faces big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov who has looked in mighty impressive form en route to the third round. Who will prevail?

Frances Tiafoe ended the breakthrough run of China’s history maker Shang Juncheng, beating him in straight sets to reach the third round of the Australian. Tiafoe saved all four break points on his serve, hammering 20 aces and winning 82% first-serve points. Tiafoe was equally on return, breaking Shang’s serve five times. Next up for him is the big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov.

Karen Khachanov, meanwhile, defeated Australian wild card Jason Kubler in four sets. The match featured some lung-busting and thrilling rallies, including one astonishing 70-shot rally that left the crowd on the edge of their seats. Khachanov has been steadily finding his best tennis Down Under, but he has not progressed beyond the third round at the Australian Open in his previous six visits. Will he change it when he faces Frances Tiafoe?

Karen Khachanov leads Frances Tiafoe 2-0 in their head-to-head, with both matches coming at Wimbledon. However, they haven’t played each other since 2021, about a year before Tiafoe produced his tremendous climb to the world’s Top 20. Khachanov has the power to make this a contest, but Tiafoe should have the tactical acumen to win this match down the stretch.