Match Details
Fixture: (27) Karen Khachanov vs Jack Draper.
Date: September 2, 2022.
Tournament: US Open 2022.
Round: Third round (Round of 32).
Venue: New York, United States.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $60,102,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & ESPN2 | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv, Sony Ten & Sony Six.
Karen Khachanov vs Jack Draper preview
World No. 31 Karen Khachanov will square off against rising star Jack Draper in the third round of the 2022 US Open on Friday.
Following an opening-round victory against Denis Kudla, Khachanov took on Thiago Monteiro in the second round. He started the match on a strong note as he jumped to a 3-1 lead in the opening set. With the American serving to stay in the set at 5-2 later on, he faced multiple set points, with his opponent grabbing the set on his fifth opportunity.
Both players remained steady on serve for a better part of the second set. Khachanov got the decisive break in the eighth game and promptly served out the set with ease to extend his lead. Both players once again defended their serve quite well in the third set. The Russian nabbed a break in the ninth game of the set but got broken while serving for the match.
Monterio claimed three games in a row to grab the third set. The Brazilian, however, was unable to maintain this form for long. A solitary break of serve in the fourth set was more than enough for Khachanov to win the match 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Jack Draper made a winning debut at the US Open by defeating Emil Ruusuvuori in straight sets in the first round. His second-round opponent was Felix Auger-Aliassime, who reached the semifinals in New York last year.
The Brit secured a break of serve in the very first game of the match and backed it up with a hold of his own. The 20-year-old held on to this lead until the end of the set. He faced three break points while serving for the set at 5-4, but remained unfazed and managed to clinch the set.
Draper snagged a break in the seventh game of the second set, which was enough for him to bag the set. He had Auger-Aliassime on the ropes by now, with the Canadian making too many mistakes and failing to make any inroads during return games.
Despite being on the verge of a major victory, Draper didn't display any signs of nerves. He went on about his business and broke his opponent's serve in the fifth game of the third set. The match ended soon after that, with the Brit winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 and reaching the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
Karen Khachanov vs Jack Draper head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Karen Khachanov vs Jack Draper odds
(All odds sourced from BetMGM)
Karen Khachanov vs Jack Draper prediction
Though this is only Draper's third main draw appearance in a Grand Slam, he's playing with the maturity of a veteran. The way he handled Auger-Aliassime in the second round was simply remarkable. He hasn't dropped his serve even once and the Brit hasn't lost a set yet either.
Draper played a rather clean match, finishing with 29 winners and committing 17 unforced errors. He utilized his lefty serve quite well too.
Khachanov has been pretty decent but will need to step up his game going forward. He blasted 45 winners but accumulated 43 unforced errors as well in the second round. The Russian hammered 17 aces and will need to maintain his impressive serving stats. Auger-Aliassime's serve was pretty effective and Draper managed to neutralize that quite easily.
Draper has made considerable progress this year and will be riding high on confidence after his victories here. Khachanov has the experience and the game to trouble the youngster, but the Brit should prevail in the end.
Pick: Jack Draper to win in four sets.
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Results