Queen's Club 2024: Sebastian Korda vs Karen Khachanov preview, head-to-head, prediction and pick | Cinch Championships
Match Details
Fixture: Sebastian Korda vs Karen Khachanov
Date: June 18, 2024
Tournament: Cinch Championships 2024
Round: Round of 32
Venue: Queen's Club, London
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Grass
Prize Money: €2,411,390
Live Channel: USA - Tennis Channel | UK- Sky Sports | Canada- TSN
Sebastian Korda vs Karen Khachanov preview
Sebastian Korda will face Karen Khachanov in the first round of the Cinch Championships. It will be the sixth meeting between the two.
Korda entered the grass-court season at the back of a third-round exit at the French Open. The American was the seventh seed at the Libema Open and started the ATP 250 event with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Tristan Schoolkate. He followed this up with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-5 win over Luca Nardi to reach the quarterfinals.
Here, the American made easy work of his second-seeded compatriot Tommy Paul, beating him 6-4, 6-2. Korda faced defending champion Tallon Griekspoor in the semifinals and won 6-2, 6-4 to reach his first final of 2024. Here, he lost 6-2, 6-2 to top seed Alex de Minaur.
Karen Khachanov has won 20 out of 31 matches so far this season, winning the Qatar Open in Doha. The Russian had a disappointing end to his clay-court season, as he suffered a second-round defeat to Jozef Kovalik. He won the first two sets before the Slovak bounced back to register a 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
Khachanov started the grass-court season at the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch. Seeded fourth, the Russian faced Aleksandar Vukic in the first round, and the latter won the opening set 6-4.
The World No. 22 was a break down in the second set but bounced back to win it 7-5 and force the match into a decider. Vukic was the first to break in the third set but Khachanov broke him back, and a tiebreak ensued. The Aussie eventually won it to register a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4) win.
Sebastian Korda vs Karen Khachanov head-to-head
Khachanov leads 3-2 in the head-to-head between the two. Their most recent encounter came in the semifinals of the Zhuhai Championships in 2023, with the Russian winning 7-5, 6-4.
Sebastian Korda vs Karen Khachanov odds
Odds will be updated when available
Sebastian Korda vs Karen Khachanov prediction
Khachanov is the higher-ranked and beat Korda in their only prior encounter on grass, which took place at Wimbledon 2021. The Russian has had some good performances on the surface, that includes a Wimbledon quarterfinal and a semifinal appearance in Halle. However, Korda will be fired up after reaching the final of the Libema Open.
Khachanov loves to play aggressively and has a pretty powerful serve which will come in very handy. He is a powerful striker of the ball and will look to grab the match by the jugular from the very first point.
Korda served 32 aces during the Libema Open, even though half of them came in his first-round win. Either way, he will look to serve as many of them as possible against Khachanov. The American will also look to force the Russian to come to the net as he isn't the best in that area.
While Khachanov has fared better against Korda in their head-to-head, the American's recent performance at the Libema Open will keep his morale boosted and he should just about manage to come out on top.
Pick: Korda to win in three sets.