Damien Kayat previews selected ATP matches from the Qatar Open and the Delray Beach Classic.
ATP 250 Series
Qatar ExxonMobil Open (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Khalifa International Tennis Complex
Roberto Bautista Agut 44/100 | Karen Khachanov 17/10
When it comes to Roberto Bautista Agut: what you see is what you get. The uber-consistent Spaniard has carved out an excellent career for himself, maximizing his potential with gritty determination.
He doesn’t have anything explosive in his arsenal. But his all-round game is tremendously solid. A hardcourt specialist, 15 of his 18 career ATP Finals have come on these surfaces.
Bautista Agut has a special affinity with this event. He won the 2019 edition and finished runner-up last year. The Spaniard hasn’t been in vintage form of late. He reached two finals during the early hardcourt season last year.
But the rest of 2022 was largely underwhelming (this week marks his first semi-final since April last year). He started 2022 in slightly more positive fashion, guiding Spain to the ATP Cup final courtesy of four singles victories.
But he followed that up with back-to-back disappointments at the Aussie Open and Open Sud de France. But he seems to have found his groove on these Doha courts. The Spaniard has dropped just three games in two matches this week. That included a humiliating demolition of former World Number One Andy Murray.
25-year-old Russian Karen Khachanov is in many ways the antithesis of Roberto Bautista Agut. The former Paris Masters champion is arguably more talented than the plucky Spaniard.
But injury and inconsistency have seen him underperform on a regular basis. But there have been some really encouraging signs for the Russian of late. Last year’s Olympic Silver Medallist is currently working a 10-4 win-loss record for the year.
He is looking to make his 2nd ATP Final of the year following his exploits in Adelaide. He has found it a slightly tougher grind than Bautista Agut this week. He had two fairly tight two-set matches before running into Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals.
After losing the opening set against the Croat, it felt like it was yet another case of Khachanov disappointment. But the Russian knuckled down in slightly uncharacteristic fashion, roaring back for a brilliant three-set win.
The Russian seems to have found an added layer of rigidity to his game of late.
Verdict: Bautista Agut to win in straight sets at 23/20
Bautista Agut has a commanding 5-2 head-to-head record against Khachanov. In fact, the Spaniard has won all three of their hardcourt matches. And I can’t see any other result in this match. Khachanov has spent far more time on court and Bautista Agut is looking positively ruthless.
ATP 250 Series
Delray Beach Classic
Delray Beach Tennis Centre, Florida, USA (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Cameron Norrie 1/1 | Seb Korda 78/100
In what is set to be a fascinating rematch of their Aussie Open clash earlier this year, Briton number one Cameron Norrie is set to take on the powerful Seb Korda. I
t was always going to be hard for 26-year-old Norrie to replicate his 2021 form. He had a sensational year, reaching six finals on three finals. It culminated in a crazy victory at the Indian Wells Masters.
Norrie performed well enough to be an alternate at the season-ending ATP Finals. He actually entered the event after both Tsitsipas and Berrettini withdrew. But things haven’t flowed quite so smoothly for Norrie this year.
He entered this event with a year-to-date record of 2-5. But the top seed saw off German Oscar Otte in very windy conditions. He will now look for vengeance against the man who humbled him at the Aussie Open: Seb Korda.
A finalist here last year, Seb Korda seems to have all the weapons to claim this year’s title. His powerful ball-striking and ability to flatten out his groundstrokes allow him to navigate the perilous winds in Florida.
Korda will go into this match with a 2022 win-loss record of 4-1. And he has won both his matches this week in straight sets. But the score-line doesn’t tell the entire story of his round of 16 clash against Andreas Seppi.
The American was twice down by a break in the opening set. In fact, he saved eight of ten break points throughout the match. It offers you a glimpse into the occasionally unpredictable world of Seb Korda.
Verdict: Korda to win in straight sets at 37/20
Korda leads Norrie 2-0 in their head-to-head duels. Not only did Korda win earlier this year in Melbourne, he actually beat Norrie in straight sets in this event last year.
In fact, Norrie has only managed to win 15 games over the course of five sets against the American. Korda just has much more power on both wings. Korda just has to keep those double-faults and unforced errors in check and he should be a comfortable winner.
