Karen Khachanov vs. Dusan Lajovic 9/24/20 Hamburg Open Tennis Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Karen Khachanov meets Dusan Lajovic in the second round of the 2020 Hamburg Open. Khachanov will look to have an easier match here after that thriller of a first-round encounter against Jan-Lennard Struff, but will Lajovic stop him in his tracks to the quarterfinals?

Dusan Lajovic put on a solid performance against Adrian Mannarino, beating the Frenchman in straight sets on Tuesday. Lajovic is very consistent on clay and he has beaten some big names in recent weeks, most notably Milos Raonic last week in Rome. I expect Lajovic to come out here and give it his all, but he will be weary of his opponents power which can hurt him. Lajovic will need to ensure he is dictating play if he is to come out victorious here, because if he is just to play defensively, he will have a very long day on Thursday against Karen Khachanov who will eat up any free points he can get.

Karen Khachanov put on a superb comeback against Jan-Lennard Struff on Tuesday, coming back from two breaks down in the final set to reach 4-4, and then coming back from another break down at 5-4 to win the match 7-5 in the third. Khachanov let that match slip as he had it in the bag being 1 set up and having multiple break points at the beginning of the second, but Struff stuck around and nearly got the better of him. Khachanov showed us resilience on Tuesday, something which I had not seen much of from him, and something which gives me a lot of confidence for his future in the Men’s Singles.

This is going to be the fourth meeting between both players, with Dusan Lajovic leading the head to head 3-0. Lajovic has gotten the better of Khachanov many times in the past, but for some reason I think this time will be different. Lajovic is not as motivated as Khachanov at the moment, and Khachanov has incredible momentum behind him after that incredible comeback. I think Khachanov wants to back that comeback up with a solid victory here, and he will give it his all to ensure his victory.