Signs of life?

Karen Khachanov finally played a good match...

I'm not trying to be mean, but we just haven't seen a lot of good matches from Khachanov throughout the year, have we? His first three-round losses leading up to the USO were not good! I watched his interview with the guys on the Changeover podcast in New York. He was in a good mood and able to joke about his (lack of) form, including the beatdown received by Lord Tomic in Los Cabos 😂 I see a guy with a lot of belief in himself, who is good at resetting, but is simply struggling with how the game has changed. He used to be someone who would be really hard to beat for a lot of players (due to his consistency, strength, and endurance), but it has changed now that a lot of players know how to hit the ball hard. Obviously, his first-round scoreline looks amazing, and don't get me wrong, he played really well. However, it was against a Solid Baseliner with no variety, the best possible matchup for Khachanov. Burruchaga could not get a single ball past him; he was completely stuck and got absolutely pulverized.

Well, it's about to get a lot harder, so let's see what you are really made of, Khachanov! We saw Felix come back very strong after a long break since the Wimbledon QF against Djokovic... he destroyed Tsitsipas in Cincinnati. However, he did take a straight-set loss to Tiafoe shortly after, but to be fair, Tiafoe's return in that match was outstanding. What about his first-round match against Hijikata here? I found it decent, but he definitely struggled a bit. I want to give credit to Hijikata as well; that was a really good match from him. There is a little bit of pressure on FAA, since he is defending a semifinal. However, I will say that I find FAA's attitude overall really great; he is so mature. He might just be 26 years old, but he is a married man with a dog and acts more like someone who is not in their twenties! Anyway, let's talk about the tennis part... as I said, I found him decent, but not outstanding... he was better as the match progressed, but I think he might still need a bit of time to truly play himself into form here. I don't think Khachanov is that bad of an opponent for him, since they are both strong on serve, but Felix is the one with a lot more finishing power, with his forehand. And yes, Khachanov is someone who provides a lot of rhythm, which really suits FAA. Still, we have a possibly buy-low spot on Khachanov after the disastrous results before the USO... and he is someone who tends to like Grand Slams. Will it be enough for us to back him to make this at least somewhat competitive? Let's find out.