🎾 Karen Khachanov vs. Aleksandar Vukic – French Open R1

ATP French Open

🎾 Karen Khachanov vs. Aleksandar Vukic – French Open R1 Preview

🧠 Form & Context

Karen Khachanov
🎢 Rollercoaster year: Despite battling physical setbacks, he’s held his own against elite players—winning sets in losses to Alcaraz, Medvedev, and Dimitrov.
🧱 French Open track record: 32 matches, only 14 settled in straights. Expect a grind—he doesn’t finish matches fast in Paris.
🧊 Redemption arc: A five-set collapse to Jozef Kovalik in R1 last year set him back mentally. He’ll want to erase that memory with a strong start.
Aleksandar Vukic
🔥 AO peak, then nosedive: Reached R3 in Melbourne after two five-set marathons, but since then, it’s been downhill—1 win in 11 tour-level events.
📉 Losses piling up: Recent defeats to Pacheco Méndez and Dellien highlight just how out-of-form the Aussie is heading into this matchup.
💪 Fighter’s spirit: He’s tough in long matches (see AO), but without momentum, replicating that effort will be hard.

🔍 Match Breakdown

🛡️ Khachanov's game: A heavy-hitting baseline slugger who rarely dominates cleanly—his best wins still tend to be long, messy matches.
🚨 Danger zone: If Khachanov loses focus (as in last year's RG), Vukic could push him to four or five sets. But without recent wins, Vukic may lack the belief to finish the job.
🎯 Opportunity for redemption: This is a must-win match for Khachanov’s confidence. A straightforward win would reset his clay season.

🔮 Prediction

Khachanov’s track record in Paris and general top-30 level play should see him through. But don’t be surprised if it turns into a four-set affair due to his tendency to leak sets and Vukic’s ability to hang tough early. 🧩 Prediction: Khachanov in 4 sets