Cameron Norrie vs Karen Khachanov: Khachanov to Outplay Norrie in Rotterdam

Norrie and Khachanov know each other very well. They played four times, the score of the confrontation 2:2. However, it is worth noting that Karen won both his matches against Cameron on hard court, while he lost both meetings on clay court. Given these stats, it is not surprising that the Russian is quoted as a favorite.

Cameron failed at the start of the season, namely the ATP Cup and the Australian Open. In Sydney, the Briton lost all his matches, including to Fritz. After the first round, he dropped out of the AO, losing to Korda in three sets. Rotterdam is Cameron's first tournament after Melbourne. As the match against Humbert proved, the pause was suitable for Norrie. His match against Ugo lasted one hour and 23 minutes. The Briton beat the Frenchman 6:2, 6:4 with two aces and one double fault. He served 85% of first serves and 53% of second serves. Cameron also has a great serve, winning 52% and 42% on his second serve.

We thought Karen would have fewer problems beating Popyrin, but the match was hard-fought. The match lasted two hours and 36 minutes. They played two tie-breaks, the first the Australian won. Khachanov took the second and the third, the former with a score of 8:6. He served five aces and five double faults. Karen won 80% of his first serve points and 58% of the second. The Russian also played very well on the second serve of Alexey Popyrin with 48% of his points.

Khachanov twice lost to Norrie and twice beat the Briton. Both wins happened on hard court, including the court of Rotterdam. Khachanov entered the tournament with difficulties. The match against Popirin was long, but we know how Karen likes the indoors. Plus, Khachanov does not give up hopes of overtaking Karatsev in the rankings. So he must perform well in the Netherlands. We believe that Karen has a good chance today to beat Cameron Norrie on the hard court and make it to the quarterfinals of the ATP 500.