Photo by Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images – Photo by Icon Sport

Karen Khachanov vs Cameron Norrie: ATP Monte Carlo – first round

Two players who know each other very well will be on the opposite sides of the net in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Karen Khachanov Profile

Karen Khachanov is 17th in the ATP rankings, with his career-high being eighth in the world. The Russian is 12-7 for the season and will play his first clay court tournament of the year in Monte Carlo.

Khachanov is coming off a 16, 6-1, 6-4 loss to Alexander Zverev in Miami. Previously, he lost the first match in Indian Wells to Thiago Seyboth Wild.

Earlier this season, Khachanov won the title in Doha, defeating Jakub Mensik in the final 7-6, 6-4. That was his sixth ATP title and the first one after winning in Zhuhai last season.

This is Khachanov’s eighth appearance in Monte Carlo, and his best result was the round of 16 last year and in 2018.

Cameron Norrie Profile

Cameron Norrie is 31st in the ATP rankings, and his career high was No. 8 in the world. The Brit is 10-6 for the season and 3-2 on clay courts.

Norrie is coming off a 7-5, 6-1 loss to Daniil Medvedev in the third round in Miami. In Indian Wells, he also lost his second match in the tournament, this time to Gael Monfils, 7-5, 6-7, 6-2.

Norrie had the best result this season, reaching the semifinals in Rio de Janeiro, where he lost 6-4, 6-2 to Mariano Navone.

This is his fourth appearance in Monte Carlo, and his best result was the round of 16 in 2019. Norrie has won a total of five ATP titles, and the last one was in Rio de Janeiro last year.

Head-to-Head Tied at 3-3

• Khachanov vs Norrie 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 (2022 French Open, third round)
• Norrie vs Khachanov 6-4, 7-6 (2022 ATP Rotterdam, round of 16)
• Khachanov vs Norrie 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 (2021 ATP Toronto, first round)
• Norrie vs Khachanov 6-1, 6-1 (2021 ATP Lyon, semifinal)
• Norrie vs Khachanov 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 (2021 ATP Barcelona, second round)
• Khachanov vs Norrie 6-2, 6-2 (2021 ATP Rotterdam, round of 16)

Prediction and Conclusion

This will be the seventh match between the two, and they have split the previous head-to-heads. Khachanov has had a better season since he has already won a title. The Russian is fully back after struggling with injuries last year. Norrie is still searching for his form, and it is pretty unlikely that he will ever be back close to his highest ranking. Norrie plays well on clay and led Khachanov 2-1 in the previous matches on this surface. Anyway, the Russian is in much better shape; his serve is high, and that will be enough to move him to the second round in Monte Carlo.