Australian Open: Tsitsipas vs Khachanov Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Australian Open as Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on Karen Khachanov in the semifinal on Friday, January 27, 2023.

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Karen Khachanov meet in an intriguing semifinal clash at the 2023 Australian Open. Who will reach the final?

Stefanos Tsitsipas ended the dream run of Czech Next Gen star Jiri Lehecka in straight sets to reach the semifinal of the Australian Open for the fourth time. Just as he did in his quarterfinal match against Jannik Sinner, Tsitsipas was clutch on break points, saving all eight he faced on his serve. Tsitsipas served big, especially on his second delivery which accounted for over 70% of points won. Lehecka played solidly as he did for most of the tournament, but couldn’t quite put enough pressure to break the Tsitsipas’ serve.

Karen Khachanov, meanwhile, rolled into a second straight Grand Slam semifinal. Khachanov was the least talked about of the three Russians inside the Top 20, but is the one who has gone the furthest at the Australian Open this year. A pair of gutsy four-set wins over Jason Kubler and Frances Tiafoe propelled him into the second week where he demolished Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0 6-0 7-6 before securing his semifinal berth with a win over the injured Sebastian Korda who retired while trailing 6-7 3-6 0-3.

Stefanos Tsitsipas leads Karen Khachanov 5-0 in their head-to-head. It is one biggest unsolved mysteries how Khachanov hasn’t managed to land a glove on the Greek in five previous matches. However, this will be a true test of Tsitsipas’ newfound aggression and confidence. The stakes couldn’t be any bigger and Khachanov hit a purple patch this fortnight at the Australian Open. But with that said, Tsitsipas’ unblemished record over Khachanov gives him a significant mental advantage in this matchup.