With the first and second round now complete at the ATP Dubai Tennis Championships, much of the field has fallen by the wayside. But 16 men remain in contention for the title and will surely be desperate to advance to the quarterfinals. On day four, we here at LWOT will, as always, be offering our prediction for every match on the slate, including Roberto Bautista Agut vs Jannik Sinner. But who will reach the last eight?
ATP Dubai Tennis Championships Day Four Predictions
Jeremy Chardy vs Karen Khachanov
Head-to-head: Khachanov 1-0 Chardy
Jeremy Chardy has quietly been putting together an excellent start to the season and the Frenchman will surely be full of confidence as a result. Indeed, had he not had the misfortune of drawing eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the first round at Melbourne Park, his record in 2021 might be even better. He has certainly looked sharp so far at the ATP Dubai Tennis Championships, racking up wins over Albert Ramos Vinolas and Alex de Minaur, both after three-set battles.
Karen Khachanov, meanwhile, enjoyed a first-round bye before edging out recent Singapore champion Alexei Popyrin in three sets. On paper, this looks like another match the Russian should be winning, with Khachanov the better mover and the more solid of the two from the baseline. But Chardy has been managing his backhand, the biggest weakness in his game, very impressively of late whilst Khachanov has not quite convinced. An upset could be on the cards.
Prediction: Chardy in 3
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Marton Fucsovics vs Dusan Lajovic
Head-to-head: Fucsovics 1-0 Lajovic
One imagines that Marton Fucsovics will be happier with the draw setting up this third-round encounter than Dusan Lajovic. The Serbian is a fine player and played well to beat Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri in straight-sets in his opener at the ATP Dubai Tennis Championships after a first-round bye, but he was beaten fairly comfortably by Fucsovics a week ago in similar conditions in Doha. And, as Fucsovics has notched two good wins of his own so far this week over Vasek Pospisil and Pablo Carreno Busta, there does not seem to be much reason to expect a radically different outcome in Dubai.
Prediction: Fucsovics in 3
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Aljaz Bedene vs Kei Nishikori
Head-to-head: first meeting
Is Kei Nishikori back to his best? The Japanese, whose career once promised so much, has endured a miserable two years, largely due to a succession of injury problems, and currently finds himself ranked outside the world’s top 40. If not for the changes introduced to combat the coronavirus, which have allowed players to maintain their ranking without having to risk travel, Nishikori would almost certainly be ranked a lot lower.
But he has played some good tennis over the past few weeks. He made the quarterfinals at the ATP Rotterdam Open and, after a disappointing first-round exit in Marseille, has backed that up in Dubai with wins over Reilly Opelka and the fifth seed David Goffin. If he can maintain the level he displayed in those matches, particularly his win over the Belgian, he should have too much for Aljaz Bedene, who lacks the sort of firepower to hit through a defender of Nishikori’s ability.
Prediction: Nishikori in 2
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Lloyd Harris vs Filip Krajinovic
Head-to-head: first meeting
After beating Stan Wawrinka last week in Doha, Lloyd Harris has put together another fine week so far at the ATP Dubai Tennis Championships. The South African, who began his week in the qualifying, has already picked up four wins and dismissed top seed Dominic Thiem in short order in the round of 32, adding to the Austrian’s woes. But he may well have his work cut out for him when he steps on to court to face Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic.
The 29-year-old has not been at his very best so far this year, but he is performing solidly enough and reached the third round at the Australian Open. He proved too strong for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his opener in Dubai and may feel confident about his chances up against Harris. But the South African has the power to take the racquet out of his opponent’s hands when he is on song. That is what he did to Thiem. Expect him to do something similar to Krajinovic.
Prediction: Harris in 3
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