After a breakout run at the US Open, Jack Draper has now made another strong run to the Vienna Open final. He has played superb tennis all week long and now has a chance to win the trophy, though he will need to beat Karen Khachanov to get it done.
Khachanov is a really tough player and capable of playing some really good tennis, so it won’t be easy. Read on for our Draper vs Khachanov prediction and betting tips where we take a look at how things might go and whether the British player will be able to win.
Player form: Draper on fire
The way Draper has been playing in recent weeks has been quite impressive. He’s always had the talent to play as well as he did recently, but things simply never worked out for him as well as they have from the US Open onward.
Part of that is just being as healthy as he’s been in recent weeks. The more he’s played, the better he’s looked, and after some strong wins here in Vienna, he’s in the final. He dropped only one set this week and has generally looked very strong.
Khachanov has had a patchy year overall, but has done well to string together a finals run here, seeing off No. 2 seed Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals.
How the bookies view it: Draper the minor favourite
Somewhat expectedly, Jack Draper is the favourite in this one, mostly due to how he played this year and his track record indoors. He’s been amazing indoors so far in his career with an 84-30 record on the surface at all levels.
He’s only a minor favourite because Khachanov has played well as well. The Russian is an experienced player who has a good track record indoors as well. He won’t be easy to beat as he has all the tools to make Draper’s life miserable.
The serve is good and the forehand can be massive. Ultimately, who plays better from the baseline will likely win the match, and Draper is capable of that.
Recent head-to-head: Khachanov leads 2-1
These two have met three times so far, and Khachanov won two of those. The first one at the 2022 US Open was won by the Russian in three sets. The next one happened last year in Adelaide, and Khachanov won that one again.
The final one happened last year at the Adelaide 2 event, and this time around Draper was able to win that one.
Anything else catch the eye?
The most eye-popping thing about this matchup is the fact that Khachanov has been on fire lately. The Russian won the Almaty event and is currently on an eight-match winning streak heading into the final.
Draper vs Khachanov betting tips & predictions
Our prediction is that Khachanov will win the match. The odds are great and we think he’s just been too good lately. He’s also the more experienced player which might factor as well.
- Khachanov to win the match @ 6/5
This match will be played on Sunday, October 26, 2024 in Vienna.
Bren is our resident Kiwi, and has been playing or watching sports down under in New Zealand for the better part of three decades. With 12+ years experience as a professional writer, Bren loves to dive deep into all things sport to bring the best betting analysis and predictions here at Mr Fixits Tips.
