Dominic Thiem vs Karen Khachanov
When the last Grand Slam was done and dealt with, many of the top ATP players put their focus on the remaining ATP tournaments of the season in order to produce an invite to the ATP Finals with their name on it.
We now find ourselves in the semi-final of the Paris Masters, the last ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year is about to begin, and the final four still standing in the tournament are the only ones with the best chance of getting all of the points in the competition.
One of the semi-final matches will definitely be a belter with US Open winner Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer bracing for a showdown of the supernovas, but the other match is an interesting spectacle of its own.
Both Dominic Thiem and Karen Khachanov might be happy that they don’t have to face the in-form Serbian to reach the final, but that doesn’t make their match any easier. Both want a ticket to London, and winning it all in the City of Lights will increase their chances.
Talking Points
Thiem on the Hunt for London
Dominic Thiem will be desperate to win the Paris Masters final as he is close to booking his ticket to London.
As explained in the brilliantly written preview, Thiem is eighth in the ATP rankings and is on the hunt to win one of the final two tickets for the ATP Finals. For him to make it into the final four of the tournament is a huge boon for his chances of qualification. If he wins against Khachanov, he can easily count himself as the taker of the seventh ticket to London.
His game prior to the semi-final could be considered a statement game for him. He defeated 2017 champion Jack Sock in a tight set that saw neither player give much room to his opponent. The fierce fighting he had to do in order to break through the American and reach this stage of the competition is a great enough victory for him.
With his chances of making it to London all but secured, the Austrian can choose to play tennis the way he wants to: aggressive, powerful groundstrokes that synergise with his bullet-like serves. If he can impose his well against his Russian opponent, there’s nothing that will stop the Austrian from making the finals besides himself.
However, it would be audacious of him to think of Khachanov as a walk in the park. Especially if he saw the way he played the last round.
Khachanov: The Great Russian Hope
The young Khachanov hasn’t had a standout year if we compare his 2018 to the rest of the playing field, but that doesn’t mean that the 22-year-old is an easy man to put down in the tennis court.
He was knocked out of the second round by Juan Martin del Potro, but the Argentine tennis star had to get him out of the tournament in four gruelling sets. He also stepped up his game in Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the Rogers Cup. The quality the young Russian has showcased throughout the year is more than enough reason for SBOBET fans to believe that he will be a great force in the future.
However, the biggest bit of Paris Masters 2018 news involving him is the feisty moment between him and German wonder kid Alexander Zverev. The already-injured Russian traded barbs with the Russian during the changing of courts due to the apparent rowdiness of Khachanov’s support camp.
Even if that were proven true and the injury did give the German a handicap, it would have been foolish for Khachanov not to make the most of the opportunity and annihilate his foe in an eye-popping 6-1 6-2 score.
Khachanov is here to win, and he’ll willingly do whatever it takes to make it to the first significant final of his professional career.
History
This will be the first time these two players will meet on the tennis court, which should be interesting for both camps. Thiem will have to be careful around the man who easily dispatched of the Madrid Open Men’s Singles winner.
It is worthwhile to mention that Borna Coric almost took down Thiem in the fourth round of the competition [6-7(3) 6-2 7-5]. In the same round, Khachanov also toiled a slow but sure win against John Isner.
It is also interesting to see the quality of the players that took Khachanov down in this year’s Majors: Del Potro toiled against him in Australia, Zverev needed all of the five available sets at Roland Garros, Djokovic took him down at Wimbledon in straight sets, and Rafael Nadal also had difficulty shaking him off in New York.
If that doesn’t vouch for the Russian’s talents, I don’t know what will.
What are the odds?
Dominic Thiem is the easy favourite for the match. While Khachanov is an exciting player that is increasingly growing in prominence over the year, he hasn’t proven himself just yet with a victory at this level. Meanwhile, Thiem has made two ATP Masters 1000 finals.
Thiem gets 1.99 in the Money Line, a curious Paris Masters 2018 odds that will offend some Thiem supporters. But the real money is at the Asian Handicap market, as a -1.50 deficit will set daring players up for a big payday of 3.00. If you fancy the young Khachanov, the Money Line route offers the most winnings at 1.85.
If you see this game ending quickly, Under 9.50 Games in the First Set – Over Under market promises 2.28 in rewards.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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