Karen Khachanov vs Andy Murray: 2023 Cincinnati Masters - Preview & Prediction
ATP
Karen Khachanov is making a comeback and it's a tough one for the Russian as he'll face Andy Murray in the opening round of the Cincinnati Masters.
Khachanov hasn't played since the French Open, pulling out of the Halle Open which was supposed to be his first grass event. Just like last year, the Russian also missed Wimbledon because of an injury and it was a shame because he likes to play on grass and he's had a pretty strong year overall.
After dealing with the injury, Khachanov will finally make his comeback at the Cincinnati Masters where he didn't play that well in previous years. Both of his previous two participations ended after one match and it's not going to be any easier this time around.
He's facing a very solid Andy Murray who played fairly well recently. The Brit was in Washington at the Citi Open earning some wins and he added two more in Toronto.
Head-to-head:
Despite both of them being established players for years we only saw them play once before. It happened many years ago at the 2017 French Open and Murray easily won that match. Things might go a bit differently this time around though.
Prediction:
This is a very interesting matchup stylistically but also because it's happening at this stage of the season. If this match happened 3 months ago then Khachanov would have likely been the favourite to win the match however Murray might hold a slight edge right now.
The reason is simple, he actually played recently and we know how hard it is to start playing well immediately after you return from an injury. Khachanov can do it but I'm not sure he will. I expect him to struggle a bit and Cincinnati has never been the best of events for him.
Prediction: Andy Murray to win in three sets.
