Miami Open: Tsitsipas vs Khachanov Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Miami Masters fourth-round match featuring Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Karen Khachanov on Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Karen Khachanov Match Preview

Stefanos Tsitsipas has a perfect record against Karen Khachanov. But after showing signs of weakness from his backhand wing, he could be in danger of succumbing to his first defeat against the Russian. Who will reach the 2023 Miami Masters quarterfinal?

Let’s be honest, Stefanos Tsitsipas didn’t look great in his third-round match against Cristian Garin at the Miami Masters. Yes, he won that match fairly in the end which is all that matters, but his backhand looked a distant from his best following his recent shoulder injury. Had the Chilean been a little bit more clinical, the result could have been totally different. Garin had 40 winners in that match, but couldn’t hurt Tsitsipas when it mattered as he only took one of his five break points.

Karen Khachanov, meanwhile, cruised into the fourth round of the Miami Masters. He saw off Czech rising star Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 6-4. I expected Khachanov to struggle a fair bit in that match, but he was a colossal serving machine. Khachanov was also taking the ball extremely early on the return, winning 44% return points to Lehecka’s 25%. The Russian will now attempt to register his first win over Stefanos Tsitsipas on the 7th attempt.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Karen Khachanov Prediction and Pick

Stefanos Tsitsipas leads Karen Khachanov 6-0 in their head-to-head. As far as matchups go, Tsitsipas has been a nightmarish opponent for the Russian. His dexterity from his backhand allows him to turn his weakness into a major strength by completely neutralizing Khachanov’s pacey ground strokes. Khachanov has pushed the Greek in his last two matches including this year’s Australian Open where he took him to a fourth set. And with Tsitsipas still bothered by his shoulder (his backhand looks way off), this is probably the best chance Khachanov has of scoring that elusive win over the second seed.