Karen Khachanov vs Alex de Minaur Prediction: Battle for the Vienna Crown - Russia's Power vs. Australia’s Speed.

In the winner-takes-all semifinals of the ATP 500 in Vienna, two players of considerable contrast in game style-Karen Khachanov versus Alex de Minaur-will face off against each other. Both have been very resilient and skilful so far in this tournament and will set up for a great battle. Currently sitting at identical 8-2 records over their last ten matches, the routes to the semifinals taken by both players are rather disparate. This is a salivating tactical proposition on indoor hard court, matching the aggressive power game and serve dominance of Khachanov with the relentless baseline counter-punching and tactical acumen of de Minaur.

ATP No. 24 Karen Khachanov heads into this meeting on the back of a brilliant straight-sets win over Matteo Berrettini, which he came through 6-1, 6-4. He has taken seven successive games at the moment and has been playing really well in the form that just keeps on going with strong and powerful play. With his explosive forehand and a decent first serve, Khachanov loves hard-court surfaces and lives for his high-risk, high-reward playing style.

But the main key will be his serve. First of all, he has to dominate through his first serve and use that powerful forehand of his in order to hold the points in his control. Aggressive play, especially during de Minaur's second serves, will give him the early advantage in rallies. With de Minaur's deft defense, Khachanov's shot selection and his patience will come into play in order to keep him away from unforced errors and not turn this match into extended rallies, where de Minaur prevails.

On the other hand, Alex de Minaur, Australia's No. 10 of the ATP, came out to battle with Jakub Mensik in a close three-set match in his last outing, showing his trademark fighting spirit. The speedy and classy defensive player, de Minaur, has won three in a row, revealing his toughness and flexibility on court.

He will base his tactics on consistency, speed, and depth. With his great anticipation, de Minaur will try to push Khachanov back behind the baseline and cancel out the power of the Russian with angled returns and long rallies. De Minaur will need to neutralize the Khachanov serve and exploit some inconsistency in his groundstrokes. This is because de Minaur's capability to redirect pace and retain his position in defense puts him in a good position to capitalize on the occasional lapse from Khachanov when under pressure.

For now, their head-to-head is 1-1, and the last time they played was in the 2022 ATP Dubai, where Khachanov won 2-1. The fact that previous matches between the two were rather close reveals a balanced skillset between the players despite the difference in style of play. Khachanov has the power, while de Minaur has the agile edge in court coverage, making things pretty even.

You put that together with the heavy serve of Khachanov and his aggressive baseline game, pitted against the speed and tenacity of de Minaur, and you guarantee a thrilling match with frequent momentum swings. Indoors, the slightly faster surface may favor Khachanov's heavy hitting, enabling him to keep points shorter and mitigate the risk of prolonged exchanges. De Minaur is one of the best defenders in tennis, but if Khachanov can stay around this sort of first-serve percentage and keep the unforced errors down, he has the tools to overpower the Australian.

• Over 22.5 Games @ 1.77 Odds
• Over 23.5 Games @ 1.94 Odds
• Karen Khachanov Wins @ 2.10 Odds