Monte-Carlo: Khachanov vs Davidovich Fokina Tennis Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters first-round match featuring Karen Khachanov vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.

Khachanov vs Davidovich Fokina Match Preview and Prediction

Ninth seed Karen Khachanov has a tough opener at the Monte-Carlo Masters as he is set to lock horns with last year’s finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round. Who will prevail?

Karen Khachanov is well on his way to re-entering the world’s top 10 having played with distinction in 2023. The Russian power hitter is 13-6 for the season, making the semifinals of the Australian Open and Miami and jumping to his current spot of world #12 ahead of the Monte-Carlo Masters. A deep run this week might be adequate for him to break the top 10 for the second time, but he faces a tough opener on paper against last year’s finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is 12-9 for the season and is defending 600 points this week. Last year he sensationally went all the way to the championship match at the Monte-Carlo Masters, stunning the likes of Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz along the way. The runner-up finish remains a career highlight for Davidovich Fokina, and who knows maybe he could go one better this week.

Khachanov vs Davidovich Fokina Prediction and Pick

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina leads Karen Khachanov 2-0 in their head-to-head. The second of those meetings was at this year’s Indian Wells where the Spaniard earned a shock three-set win. Obviously, surface preference helps Davidovich Fokina greatly at the Monte-Carlo Masters, and he’s had two matches already to kick things off on the clay in Estoril. But I wasn’t really in awe of his performance in the Portuguese Riviera where he lost a tight straight-sets match to Marco Cecchinato. Khachanov hasn’t really set the world alight on the red clay in his career, but you suspect with the top-10 breakthrough in mind, he’ll look to overpower the flashy Spaniard. At the price, we recommend taking Khachanov as Davidovich Fokina has been in a bit of a lull in the last couple of weeks.