An opportunity not to be missed.

Khachanov took out Félix Auger-Aliassime in the first round and, in doing so, opened up his draw. This is a round of 16 that’s well within his reach, even if Molcan can sometimes make deep runs in tournaments.

We knew it: this is a tournament that can really work out for Khachanov, and more broadly an Asian swing that suits him well. On top of that, if you add the fact that the Russian arrives after a successful US Open and is highly motivated at the end of the season given the disappointment of his first half of the year, you get an explosive mix. I really believe in Khachanov over the next few weeks, and it starts right now with a status he needs to live up to. He played well against FAA but now faces a completely different type of opponent. Molcan is much more of a hard worker and limits his unforced errors. He’s also a tricky lefty to play against, who can impose his own rhythm and lock you down on the backhand side.

The Slovak is coming from the qualifiers and is going all-in this week. He had a relatively manageable qualifying draw when you look at how dangerous the other qualifiers were. He also benefited from getting a lucky loser in the first round in the form of Machac. The Czech completely lost the plot in that match and basically handed him the win. Against a solid player like Molcan, that doesn’t fly. But here again, Molcan will have a very different match to play because Khachanov won’t be gifting as much. And he too is a hard worker who shines over the long haul.

Only one head-to-head to chew on, and it’s a win for the Slovak in Lyon in 2022. That was on clay, which is his best surface. Even if his start to the tournament has been more than decent, these are not ideal conditions for him. Logically, Khachanov should be able to handle him well. But do we really feel like clicking on Khacha at such a low price?