The opening day of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships will feature the Russian prodigy Karen Khachanov against the rising Austrian star Dominic Thiem.
Watch & bet on Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov live in the Mubadala World Tennis Championships with bet365 here* on Thursday, December 27. The match begins at 6:00 pm local time (2:00 am GMT next day).
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Khachanov v Thiem Head to Head
Khachanov, who is relatively now on the ATP Tour, has met Thiem only once in his professional career so far. That meeting came in the semifinal of the Paris Masters, where the Russian won comfortably with 6-4, 6-1. He now leads 1-0 in the head-to-head tally.
Khachanov’s Spectacular Season
The 22-year-old had a remarkable run in 2018. He ended the season as the World No. 11 – his best singles ranking yet, and backed it with three singles titles. His win-loss record was at 46-22 although; he did play in almost every major tournament.
He won the ATP Marseille in February and followed it with an exceptional performance at the Kremlin Cup. His most notable feat, however, came in Paris when he won the Masters tournament after defeating the likes of Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic with ease. Apart from this, he also was a semifinalist at the Rogers Cup, where he lost to Rafael Nadal.
These feats put him in the spotlight in 2018. He has a bright career ahead of him, to say the least. Many fans believe that he has what it takes to lead the next generation of players and topple the top ranking order.
Thiem’s Relentless Pursuit
Time after time, the Austrian has proven himself to be one of the hardest-working players on the tour. His stamina and perseverance is something that puts him in a different league altogether.
He finished the season with a win-loss record of 54-20 and three titles – ATP Buenos Aires, ATP Lyon, and ATP St. Petersburg. Even though none of those tournaments was in the upper tier, Thiem, by participating in numerous competitions, did more than enough to stay in the top 10.
Another thing that helped him hold on to his rankings was his performance at the Roland Garros and Madrid Masters, where he lost in the final to Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev respectively.
He also qualified for the year-end ATP Finals in London but failed to move past the robin round group.
Thiem v Khachanov – Who will Win?
In terms of experience, Thiem has a couple of years over his Russian adversary. However, considering his 2018 season, where he succumbed to the likes of Fabio Fognini, Nicolas Jarry, and Martin Klizan, he may have to keep an eye out for Khachanov.
The World No. 11 has delivered many upsets over the past season and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him do the same here as well. At the same time, this being a pre-season exhibition tournament, things may take a different turn here. Thiem will start this match as the favorite to win.
You can watch Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov match in the Mubadala World Tennis Championships live on bet365. It will be played on Thursday, December 27, at 6:00 pm local time (2:00 pm GMT).
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