Karen Khachanov vs Shintaro Mochizuki

Karen Khachanov vs Shintaro Mochizuki – Wimbledon 2025 Preview

Tournament: Wimbledon, ATP Main Draw – 2nd Round

Date: July 3, 2025

Surface: Grass

Location: All England Club, London

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🧠 Form & Context

Karen Khachanov

• 🎯 Grass form dialed in: 7 wins already this swing, including a clean R1 Wimbledon win over McDonald.
• 📊 Reliable against lower-ranked: 19–6 vs lower-ranked players in 2025, with just 2 losses to former top-100 names.
• 🧱 Slam standard bearer: 21–6 record in Slam second rounds, with consistent 3R-or-better showings in 2025 Slams.
• 📍 Wimbledon track: Quarterfinalist in 2021, with multiple second-week runs.
• 💪 Physicality + firepower: One of the most dangerous players when cruising past early rounds.

Shintaro Mochizuki

• 🌱 Homecoming vibes: Won the Wimbledon juniors title in 2019 (same field as Alcaraz and Lehecka).
• 🚀 Career-first: Earned his first-ever Slam main draw win in R1 vs Zeppieri—came from two sets down.
• 📉 Fragile late: Has struggled physically in long matches throughout his career.
• 🔥 Grass groove: Now 11–2 on grass in 2025, including Challenger finals in Nottingham and Ilkley.
• 🎯 Underdog magic: While lacking weapons, his flat game and court craft play up on quick surfaces.

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is a huge mismatch on paper—but not without intrigue.

Khachanov is efficient, powerful, and seasoned at this level. He’s playing solid grass-court tennis, wins early-round Slam matches consistently, and has already faced Mochizuki’s type: fast, light-footed, undersized counterpunchers. His recent exhibition win over Djokovic at Hurlingham further confirms his readiness.

Mochizuki thrives on rhythm, variety, and control. But against Khachanov’s serve and flat pace, he’ll have minimal time to build points. The Japanese player will need to mix spins, change pace, and try to frustrate Khachanov with slice and net forays.

That said, if Khachanov serves well and avoids getting dragged into neutral exchanges, this match could stay one-sided. The biggest threat to him here is complacency.

🔮 Prediction

Mochizuki is a fun story and his grass success is real—but Khachanov is simply too consistent and too powerful. Expect a few flashy moments from the Japanese player, but little scoreboard pressure.

Prediction: Khachanov in 3 sets, with at least one dominant set in the mix.