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Match details
Fixture: (1) Aslan Karatsev vs Elias Ymer.
Date: 2 February 2022.
Tournament: Tata Open Maharashtra.
Round: Second round.
Venue: Pune, India.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $493,875.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Star Sports, Disney Plus, Jio TV. The tournament will also show matches on their official Facebook and Twitter pages as well as their YouTube channel.
Aslan Karatsev vs Elias Ymer preview
Top seed Aslan Karatsev will open his Maharashtra Open title bid against World No. 163 Elias Ymer on Wednesday.
Karatsev picked up from where he left off last season and made a dream start to 2022 with a title in Sydney. He put up a sublime performance against three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in the final to triumph on the ATP tour for the third time in his career.
The Australian Open, however, didn't go according to expectations. The Russian, who was a surprise semifinalist last year, collapsed due to a heap of errors against Adrian Mannarino in the third round.
The World No. 15 will be eager to push aside that setback and get back to winning ways in Pune.
Touted as a talent to watch out for, 25-year-old Elias Ymer hasn't realized his potential so far. With a career win-loss record of 24-55, he has yet to break into the top 100.
The former World No. 105 played the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open before coming to Pune. Having notched up a couple of wins, he went down meekly to Alejandro Tabilo in the final round of qualifying.
At the Maharashtra Open, Ymer won two rounds of qualifying before edging World No. 202 Gian Marco Moroni in three sets in the first round of the main draw on Tuesday.
Aslan Karatsev vs Elias Ymer head-to-head
Aslan Karatsev and Elias Ymer have never squared off on the tour before, so the head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0.
Aslan Karatsev vs Elias Ymer prediction
Due to the huge gulf in the rankings and experience between the two players, Karatsev is the overwhelming favorite to come through this match with a win.
Endowed with big serves, flat strokes and effortless power, the Russian plays an attacking brand of tennis. He will look to pound his shots hard and keep the rallies short.
Ymer, on the other hand, is more comfortable playing on clay. As a counterpuncher, he will try to prolong the rallies.
However, the Swede lacks consistency and tends to commit a high number of unforced errors under pressure. A repeat of that will spell doom against a player like Karatsev, who will look to come charging out of the blocks.
Ymer also needs to ensure he puts in a high percentage of first serves to have any chance against the top seed. Against Moroni in the first round, he could only land 55% of first serves. Those numbers need to improve when he faces the Russian because Karatsev won't hesitate to pounce on his second serves.
Prediction: Aslan Karatsev to win in straight sets.
