We’re into the quarter-finals of the ATP Tour’s Open 13. Damien Kayat previews Karen Khachanov v ZZ Zhang and Grigor Dmitrov v Arthur Rinderknech.
2024 ATP Tour
ATP 250
Open 13
Palais des sports de Marseille
Selected Quarterfinals – 9 February
Karen Khachanov 1/3 | Z.Z. Zhang 9/4
Karen Khachanov wasn’t in the mood for letting history dictate anything in his round of 16 clash with Bautista Agut, overcoming a 6-3 head-to-head deficit to absolutely trounce the Spanish baseliner. It was a ruthless display of power-hitting that really underlined his vastly improved serve.
The Russian smashed 14 aces in the match and he is starting to look ominous. Khachanov started the year with a fairly ignominious Hong Kong exit. But he showed what he is made of in Melbourne, reaching the final 16 in yet another solid Grand Slam performance.
The two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist won his first title in six years at last year’s Zhuhai Championships. He is really a prototypical contemporary hardcourt specialist, using his massive serve and formidable forehand to flatten opponents. He won the title here in 2018 and he clearly has an affinity for these indoor conditions.
27-year-old Chinese player Z.Z. Zhang- affectionately known as ZZZ- has really toiled throughout his unremarkable career. He is yet to reach an ATP Tour final and he has enjoyed the vast majority of his success on the Challenger circuit. But 2023 turned out to be a mini breakout campaign for the towering Zhang.
He recorded a string of firsts for Chinese men, reaching an ATP Masters quarter-final in Madrid and beating a top-five opponent- Casper Rudd- at the US Open. He also reached the 4th round of his home Masters event in Shanghai. He started this season with a United Cup win over rising star Jiri Lehecka before winning his maiden Aussie Open match against Federico Coria.
He just soundly dismantled a disappointing Felix Auger-Aliassime and he will go into this match with no fear. He has a really potent serve and an excellent backhand. He will look to hit plenty of crosscourt backhands to avoid that vicious Khachanov forehand wing.
Verdict: Khachanov to win in three at 51/20
This will be the first career meeting between these two. The Russian is a class act and will go in as the obvious favoruite. But Zhang shouldn’t be underestimated. That backhand is deceptively powerful and will bore into the Russian’s weaker wing.
And his serve- though not as devastating as Khachanov’s- is efficient and tough to crack. The Russian’s durability should see him emerge victorious but I can see Zhang nicking a set.
Grigor Dimitrov 23/100 | Arthur Rinderknech 3/1
I’m so happy that 32-year-old Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov has finally got his act together. I think he probably needed some time to come to terms with the fact that he- despite all the media hullabaloo in the early part of his career- was never going to be World No.1. And he now seems quite content to be in and around the top ten.
2023 was an excellent year for Dimitrov. The Bulgarian reached the final in Geneva before a solid semi-final run in Washington. He then enjoyed a brilliant late-season surge, reaching the semi-finals of the Masters event in Shanghai before a magnificent run to the final of the Paris Masters.
And he started this season in similar style, downing Holger Rune in straight-sets to claim the Brisbane title. He went into the Aussie Open as a bit of a dark horse contender so he would have been disappointed with his pretty tame third-round exit at the hands of Borges. But he looked all business in a potentially tricky opener against Seb Korda, taking down the lanky American in straight sets.
28-year-old Arthur Rinderknech needed this week. The somewhat enigmatic Frenchman looked like a solid player a few years back, briefly becoming the French No.1 when he broke into the world’s top 50 in 2022. He reached his one and only ATP Final at the 2022 Adelaide International 2.
But last year he plummeted down the rankings as his form completely abandoned him. His movement looked laboured and he looked destined for Challenger Tour obsolescence. But a third-round run at the US Open did offer a glimpse of his potential. He started this year poorly, coming into this event without a tour-level win.
And he looked destined to continue that trend after losing the first set against Maxime Cressey. But he showed grit to claw his way out of that match and then he recorded an impressive upset win against 8th seed Jiri Lehecka. The conditions have been a bit slower than expected this week and I think he has benefitted from this.
He out-rallied the Czech on a few occasions and he will need keep up that athleticism if he wishes to be competitive against Dimitrov.
Verdict: Dimitrov to win in straight sets 7/10
This will be the first career meeting between these two. I just can’t see any other result here. Dimitrov looked composed against Korda, moving the American around the court at will. Rinderknech took advantage of a pretty dire performance by Jiri Lehecka and I don’t think he will be able to match the intensity of the Bulgarian.
