Will Khachanov’s comeback be enough?

The Russian is finally smiling again after a difficult period; he approaches this match calmly and without the slightest pressure, which makes him dangerous.

Pretty crazy stat to sum up Khachanov’s week: he’s currently at 26 out of 30 break points saved this week. That’s an important stat; the clutch factor he’s showing in this tournament used to be something normal for him. We know he’s a mentally strong and brave player in the big moments, but he’d kind of lost that over the last few months.

His level is coming back little by little, but I admit I’m still not fully convinced he’s playing his best tennis. I feel like everything is a bit more labored and that this week, he’s gotten out of tough spots quite well to find himself in the quarterfinals. But winning without playing your best tennis also helps you regain confidence and be more relaxed for future matches, especially tomorrow’s match against Ruud. He knows he’s not the favorite and that he’s already done his tournament. He should go into it with a very loose arm and no stress.

On Ruud’s side, we’re still waiting for a real test for the contender this week, since he’s crushed all his opponents. From a distance, you see a win over Lehecka and one over Musetti, with very one-sided scorelines, but the actual content of the matches from his opponents was disappointing. There’s nothing you can hold against Ruud, who on his end has been perfect. What I mean is that he still hasn’t had a real match that pushes him to his limits.

Before this tournament, Khachanov wasn’t seen as a player you really needed to watch out for, but now that he’s rolling, he could be a worthy opponent for Ruud, even if I have to admit I still have big doubts, once again, about the Russian. I’m not sure he’s very comfortable with the match-up either.

For anything to really happen, he’d need to produce a better match than what he’s shown since the start of the week, while keeping the same level of efficiency. On the other side, Ruud would also need to have an off day; that’s a lot to ask, in my opinion.