John Millman vs Aslan Karatsev: Aslan to start with a confident win?

The second round of the St. Petersburg Open will feature a match between the Australian, John Millman, and Aslan Karatsev, the Russian No.3. Aslan is quoted as the big favorite, having won the Kremlin Cup last week.

Millman played three matches at the Kremlin Cup. The Australian started with a win over Bonzi, continued with a win over Marchenko and a loss to Khachanov. It is important that Khachanov was knocked out of the Moscow tournament by Karatsev, Millman’s opponent-to-be, so it is easy to draw a parallel for the upcoming match. Millman played one match in St. Petersburg against an Israeli, Oliel. Still, winning 6-1, 6-1 is not the best indicator of Millman’s current form. After all, Oliel is only No.373 in the world.

There is some fear for Aslan, or rather for his morale. A few days ago Karatsev became the Kremlin Cup triumphant, and by Aslan's own words, this victory means a lot to him. Such victory can be followed by a slump. However, we expect that Karatsev has a more significant goal for the rest of the season, making it to Torino. Rublev and Medvedev are already there, so we'll see if Russia's third-ranked player can also make it to the Italian top tennis showcase. For this, Aslan needs to finish the current season at a good level.

Karatsev had three days to recover and prepare. Millman was in Moscow, playing against Khachanov, i.e., there is a lot of information about the Australian, which is good for the more status-oriented Karatsev now. Much in the coming game will depend on the Russian. If Aslan can keep the same level of tennis as he did in the Kremlin Cup semifinals and finals, Millman will have little chance to win. If Karatsev turns out weaker on Wednesday, of course, there will be an opportunity for Millman to succeed. Here are the betting options: W2+TU (24.5) for 1.80, H2 (-3.5) for 1.68.