Jakub Mensik has been making headlines in the tennis world all week, with this being an incredible breakthrough run for him. The question becomes, can he cap it all off with a maiden ATP Tour title? Standing on the opposite side of the net will be the second seed at ATP Doha, Karen Khachanov. Who do you think will raise the trophy?
ATP Doha Final Prediction
Jakub Mensik vs Karen Khachanov
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Whatever happens in the final, Jakub Mensik will leave ATP Doha with a lot to be proud of. The 18-year-old has secured his Top 100 debut, first ATP quarterfinal, semifinal, and final, plus beat players like Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (first Top 50 win) and Andrey Rublev (first Top 10 win). On top of that, he had a crazy match with Andy Murray and survived the semifinals against Gael Monfils while on his last legs. It was coming for one of the biggest talents of his generation, but maybe it wasn’t expected that it was all going to happen in one week.
Karen Khachanov’s run is going under the radar compared to his opponent. This is not necessarily a negative, it’s just that the No. 2 seed is winning his matches as expected without any crazy narratives. It’s been a solid season for him with an 8-3 record, losing only to Jannik Sinner, Grigor Dimitrov, and Emil Ruusuvuori. That is the sort of steady excellence that Khachanov has gotten us used to, and this week at ATP Doha hasn’t been any different.
Mensik once again demonstrated in Doha that he’s so much more than a big server. His movement is incredibly effective for his height, his mental resilience has been on point, and he refuses to give up. All of that is backed up by easy power. But is he likely to claim this final?
Mensik has the level to keep up with Khachanov, but the Russian will have so much more left in the tank and the experience of having been there before (many times). It’s been a crazy week, but it seems more likely than not that it will finish in a more ordinary fashion. It won’t be long until the Czech picks up one of these, though, even if he fails to do it on Saturday.
Prediction: Khachanov in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
