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Match Details
Fixture: (7) Andy Murray vs Aslan Karatsev
Date: September 23, 2023
Tournament: Zhuhai Championships 2023
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Zhuhai, China
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $981,785
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Tennis TV | Canada - TSN
Andy Murray vs Aslan Karatsev preview
Three-time Major champion Andy Murray will play against Aslan Karatsev in the second round of the 2023 Zhuhai Championships on Saturday.
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Murray was up against Ye Cong Mo in the first round. Both defended their serves quite well for most of the first set. With his opponent serving to force a tie-break at 6-5, the Brit made his move and snagged a break to take the set.
Murray saved four break points to start the second set with a tough service hold. He faced another one during his next service game, but held firm yet again. The former World No. 1 then secured a break of serve in the fourth game and held on to the advantage until the end to win 7-5, 6-4.
Karatsev took on Matteo Arnaldi in his opener. Neither got close to a break point in the first set, which the Russian lost in the ensuing tie-break. He then trailed by a break twice in the second set, but broke back immediately to level the score.
Karatsev held four set points on Arnaldi's serve at 6-5, but couldn't close it out. Nevertheless, he gained the upper hand in the tie-break to win the set. The Russian raced to a 4-0 lead in the third set, a deficit his opponent was unable to recover from as he wrapped up a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-2 comeback win.
Andy Murray vs Aslan Karatsev head-to-head
Karatsev leads Murray 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter in the final of the 2022 Sydney Tennis Classic in straight sets.
Andy Murray vs Aslan Karatsev odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Andy Murray vs Aslan Karatsev prediction
Murray had a good day on serve in the previous round as he fired 10 aces and won 80% of his first serve points. He blasted 29 winners in all against just eight unforced errors.
Karatsev's serving stats were pretty good too as he rained down 17 aces, but the nine double faults he threw in negated his advantage by a slim margin. He smacked a total of 53 winners over the course of his three-hour win over Arnaldi and committed 16 unforced errors.
Karatsev struck the ball quite well and aside from his offensive play, he threw in some timely drop shots as well. The last and the only time he went up against Murray, he disposed off the Brit in straight sets to win the title in Sydney.
Both have a comparable win-loss record for the season. Murray could be stretched too thin trying to keep up with Karatsev's ballstriking. The former World No. 1 has scored quite a few tough wins this season, but if this one goes the distance, the Russian will be favored to make it through.
Pick: Aslan Karatsev to win in three sets.
