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Match Details
Fixture: Alexander Shevchenko vs Mikhail Kukushkin
Date: September 20, 2024
Tournament: Hangzhou Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Hangzhou Olympics Sports Expo Center
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $1,081,395
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky UK
Alexander Shevchenko vs Mikhail Kukushkin preview
The second round of the 2024 Hangzhou Open will feature an all-Kazakh affair between Alexander Shevchenko and Mikhail Kukushkin. Shevchenko has not had the best of seasons in 2024, as is evident by his 17-24 record. He was last seen in action at the Davis Cup where he lost his singles tie against August Holmgren of Denmark.
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The World No. 58 has struggled to go beyond the first rounds at events he has played in. However, he reached the quarter-final of the Geneva Open on clay. The Kazakh player fared well on the hard course, reaching the quarterfinals of the Open Sud de France and Rotterdam Open, losing to Alexander Bublik and Grigor Dimitrov.
At the Hangzhou Open, Shevchenko defeated Argentine qualifier 6-1, 6-1 Marco Trungelliti in the first round.
Mikhail Kukushkin is a player who has only played one match on the ATP Tour in 2024. The match came at the French Open, where the Kazakh qualified for the main draw and he eventually lost 2-6, 2-6, 3-6 to Fabian Marozsan in the first round. Barring that, the World No 112 has not qualified for any other ATP event in 2024.
The former top-40 player has extensively played on the Challenger Tour, winning two hard-court titles in Manama and Tenerife. He caused an upset in the first round of the Hangzhou Open when he defeated fifth seed Luciano Darderi 6-3, 6-4 in the first round.
Alexander Shevchenko vs Mikhail Kukushkin head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the two Kazakhs on the ATP Tour.
Alexander Shevchenko vs Mikhail Kukushkin odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Alexander Shevchenko vs Mikhail Kukushkin prediction
Shevchenko is yet to win a title on the ATP Tour. However, he reached one final on the hard courts, at the 2023 Moselle Open, where he lost to Ugo Humbert. Barring a few events, his hard-court form can be termed as moderate in 2024.
Hard courts have produced the best results for Mikhail Kukushkin in his career. He has reached four finals on the surface, the last of which came at the 2019 Open 13, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas. The solitary title for the Kazakh came at the St Petersburg Open in 2010, where he defeated Mikhail Youzhny for the title.
Shevchenko's relatively superior run of form and more experience in 2024 should see him get through to the quarterfinals without much trouble.
Pick- Alexander Shevchenko to win in straight sets
