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Match details
Fixture: (13) Karen Khachanov vs (23) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Date: March 12, 2023.
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open.
Round: Third round (Round of 32).
Venue: Indian Wells, California, USA.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt.
Prize money: $8,800,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Karen Khachanov vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina preview
Karen Khachanov and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina are set for a third-round showdown at the 2023 Indian Wells Masters on Sunday.
Following a first-round bye, Khachanov faced Oscar Otte in the second round. An early break of serve helped the Russian go 3-1 up. He maintained an iron grip on the proceedings and broke his opponent's serve yet again to capture the opener.
Khachanov looked to be cruising to an easy victory as he raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set. Otte put up a brief fight by claiming the next couple of games. However, the Russian bagged the next two games to win the match 6-3, 6-3.
Davidovich Fokina also made it into the second round courtesy of a bye and was up against Yibing Wu. There wasn't much to differentiate the two for the better part of the first set. However, the Spaniard raised his level at the right time.
With Yu serving to stay in the set at 5-4, Davidovich Fokina secured a break of serve to take the set. The second set wasn't as competitive as the Spaniard reeled off five straight games to win the match 6-4, 6-1.
Karen Khachanov vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina head-to-head
Davidovich Fokina leads Khachanov leads 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2020 Paris Masters in three sets.
Karen Khachanov vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Karen Khachanov vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina prediction
Aside from a minor hiccup in the second set, Khachanov was hardly troubled by Otte in the previous round. The Russian's big serve was slightly blunted, but it got the job done. He hit 15 winners while his unforced error count stood at seven.
Davidovich Fokina eased past Yu in the second round as well. He didn't face a single break point throughout the contest. The Spaniard also emerged victorious during his prior meeting against Khachanov.
However, the Russian is in slightly better form heading into this encounter. Khachanov's serve is a massive asset, which often tips the scales in his favor. Davidovich Fokina is capable of nullifying his advantage with his sharp returns. His timely drop shots could also give him an edge.
Khachanov has been slightly more consistent than Davidovich Fokina, while also performing better in the California desert. As such, he'll be expected to prevail in this encounter.
Pick: Karen Khachanov to win in three sets.
