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Match Details
Fixture: (5) Andrey Rublev vs (9) Karen Khachanov
Tournament: Monte-Carlo 2023
Date: Thursday, April 13
Round: Third Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Monte Carlo Country Club, France
Category: Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €5,779,335
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, TC Plus/UK - Amazon Prime Video
Andrey Rublev vs Karen Khachanov preview
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev takes on ninth seed Karen Khachanov in an all-Russian Monte-Carlo third-round matchup on Thursday.
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The sixth-ranked Rublev improved to 14-8 on the season by seeing off Jaume Munar in his opener, recovering from a set down to beat the Spaniard. He's 7-5 in Monte-Carlo, having reached the final in 2021 and losing in the third round last year.
The 25-year-old Russian has had a rather underwhelming season thus far. Starting off with consecutive defeats, Rublev reached the Australian Open quarterfinals before early exits in Rotterdam and Doha. He reached the Dubai final, but his title defense was ended by compatriot Daniil Medvedev. Rublev then reached the Round of 16 at both Indian Wells and Miami.
Meanwhile, World No. 12 Khachanov improved to 15-6 on the season with a pair of straight-set wins this week. He saw off last year's finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina before taking care of Ilya Ivashka in the next round.
The Russian is coming off a strong North American hardcourt swing, reaching the Indian Wells third round and the Miami semifinals. He started the season with quarterfinals at Adelaide 1 and Adelaide 2 before reaching the last four at the Australian Open.
Khachanov is 6-5 in Monte-Carlo, having never progressed beyond the third round in five previous appearances. He lost in the first round last year.
Andrey Rublev vs Karen Khachanov head-to-head
Khachanov has a 2-1 H2H lead over Rublev, but the latter won the pair's last meeting in the Halle Round of 32 two years ago. The two Russians are yet to lock horns on clay.
Andrey Rublev vs Karen Khachanov odds
(All odds as per BETMGM)
Andrey Rublev vs Karen Khachanov prediction
Both Rublev and Khachanov look to dominate opponents from the back of the court and have pretty similar game styles.
The two tend to play their best tennis on hard courts, where their strong serve, powerful groundstrokes, and good movement reap rich dividends. However, Rublev is the slightly more accomplished player on the red dirt, reaching two Roland Garros quarterfinals to Khachanov's one.
Rublev (49-29) also boasts a slightly better win rate on clay than his compatriot (52-40). However, he was not at his best in his opener, while Khachanov has reeled off successive straight-set wins. It should be a close contest, but expect Rublev to triumph.
Pick: Rublev in three sets
