Meet our #ErsteBankOpen 2024 finalists 🤩 @karenkhachanov and @jackdraper0 are ready to light up the court tomorrow and fight for the trophy! 🏆✨
Vienna Open Final Preview: In-form Jack Draper battles steady Karen Khachanov’s winning streak
ATPSunday, 27 October 2024 at 11:04
Jack Draper
will face Karen Khachanov for the ATP 500 Vienna Open title. Draper continues
in the best season of his career and will play his third final of the season,
seeking his second title. The British No. 1 has the chance to close out his
best year on Tour and arrives confidently after defeating Lorenzo Musetti 6-2,
6-4.
Khachanov
traveled from Almaty on Sunday – nearly 6,000 kilometers – shortly after
claiming the seventh title of his career, and two days later, he made his debut
in Vienna. Despite the journey, he remains in impeccable form, coming off a
decisive win over Alex De Minaur, 6-2, 6-4.
Title Clash in Vienna: Draper vs. Khachanov
Injuries
that troubled Draper (No. 18) during 2023 and part of 2024 appear to be firmly
behind him, or at least haven’t interfered in recent months, as the Brit
continues to show his talent and rise in the rankings. Draper has kept his
momentum going at the end of the season, with Vienna serving as an ideal stage
to showcase his tennis.
He achieved
wins over Kei Nishikori, Luciano Darderi, Tomas Machac, and Lorenzo Musetti
without much trouble. The 7th seed has been particularly sharp under pressure,
which has been crucial throughout the tournament. He will play his fourth
career final and has secured his career-high ranking as World No. 15,
regardless of Sunday’s result.
On the
other side, Khachanov (No. 24) arrives in peak form this season. Last week, he
won the Almaty Open title, defeating Canadian Gabriel Diallo in the final. This
week, he scored important wins over Thiago Seyboth Wild, Brandon Nakashima,
Matteo Berrettini, and Alex De Minaur. He’s on an eight-match winning streak,
seemingly regaining his form after nearly five months without back-to-back
wins.
Read also
The Russian
was somewhat inconsistent throughout the season, but his two titles – Almaty
and Doha – kept him in the higher ranks. The 28-year-old is aiming for a top-20
reentry with this title, which would be his first ATP 500 victory.
The
finalists have met three times before, with Khachanov leading the head-to-head
2-1, though Draper won their most recent encounter back in January 2023 in the
Adelaide International 2 quarterfinals.
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