The Australian Open men’s semifinals start on Friday at Melbourne Park, as the first Grand Slam of the season has been whittled down to four players. In one of the day’s two semifinals, No 18 seed Karen Khachanov will face off with No 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas will play in the Australian Open’s semifinals for the fourth straight ATP Tour season. He has never progressed to the final, but this season could be different for the Greek start. Tsitsipas has been on the cusps of Grand Slam tennis tournament greatness before.
Yet, he always seems to fail in the big tournaments. Despite winning nine career ATP Tour titles, Tsitsipas has never won a Grand Slam event. The Greek star has only reached one Grand Slam tournament final, which occurred at the 2021 French Open.
Khachanov ended 2022 in fine form in Grand Slam tournament play. He reached the semifinals of the US Open but lost to Casper Ruud in four sets. The Russian is ranked No 20 in the world and is in search of a first-ever Grand Slam tournament win, just like Tsitsipas.
On the other side of the bracket, Novak Djokovic and unseeded American player Tommy Paul will contest the other semifinal. Will Khachanov or Tsitsipas reach the final?
Karen Khachanov vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Betting Odds
Novak Djokovic began the Australian Open 2023 as the bookmakers’ favourite to win the competition. With just four players left in the Grand Slam, Djokovic is still the sportsbooks’ favourite to lift the famous Grand Slam trophy.
The Serbian is at the best betting odds of 1/5 to win the Aussie Open. Tsitsipas is the second favourite to win the tournament at odds of 4/1. Khachanov is at odds of 16/1, while Paul comes in at odds of 22/1 to win the Aussie Open.
Tsitsipas goes into the semifinal as the favourite to win against Khachanov. The Greek player is at the best betting odds of 2/5 to win the match. Tsitsipas has regularly been disappointed in big matches, so there is a strong possibility Khachanov could upset the favourite in the semifinal.
Tsitsipas saw off unseeded player Jiri Lehecka in the quarterfinals in straight sets. His most difficult match of the tournament was in the fourth round against Jannik Sinner. It remains the only match in which Tsitsipas was forced to more than three sets. It was also his only match against a seeded player.
Khachanov defeated No 29 seed Sebastian Korda in the quarterfinals in three sets. Friday’s semifinal is at odds of 11/8 to go three sets. This seems unlikely with two in-form tennis players meeting head-to-head. Bookmakers have the match going four sets at 8/5, while five sets are at 12/5. It feels like this could be a long battle and five sets occurring. Khachanov is 2/1 to win the match, while Tsitsipas is at the best odds of 2/5 to pick up the win.
Karen Khachanov vs Stefanos Tsitsipas H2H
Khachanov is in form heading into the semifinal and Tsitsipas has disappointed in big matches previously. These facts are undeniable. Yet, it is also a fact that Tsitsipas has played very well against Khachanov in the pair’s head-to-head encounters.
Tsitsipas is 5-0 against Khachanov in their five career meetings on the tennis court. The duo first met at the 2017 ATP Masters in Shanghai with Tsitsipas winning 7-5 and 6-3. They met again the next year in the same tournament, as Tsitsipas won 6-4 and 7-6.
In 2021, Tsitsipas defeated Khachanov in Rotterdam in the tournament’s quarterfinals 4-6, 6-3, and 7-5. That same year, the duo played in the ATP Masters Canada tournament. Again, Tsitsipas posted a victory, this time it was 6-3 and 6-2. In 2022, Tsitsipas and Khachanov met in their most recent fixture. The Greek won 4-6, 6-0, and 6-3.
Can Khachanov finally defeat Tsitsipas or will the Greek superstar continue his winning ways? Four of Tsitsipas’s five wins against the Russian were on hardcourt. That simple fact bodes well for Tsitsipas to win a sixth time. Three of the five matches were straight-set wins. The nerves should be jangling on both sides for Friday’s semifinal, however. The semifinals have been Tsitsipas’s ceiling at the Australian Open.
Karen Khachanov vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Betting Tips
Based on the history between the Australian Open semifinalists, it is difficult to bet against Tsitsipas winning against Khachanov. Sure, the Russian is in fine form going into the match, but Tsitsipas has been on another level in head-to-head fixtures.
One of the issues with Tsitsipas going into the match on Friday is the competition he has faced in Melbourne. Just one of the five players Tsitsipas defeated on the way to the semifinals was seeded. Fourth-round opponent Jannik Sinner, seeded No 15, nearly pulled off the upset.
Tsitsipas jumped out to a 2-0 lead, dominating the opening two sets with back-to-back 6-4 wins. Yet, Tsitsipas nearly three the match away, as Sinner won the third and fourth sets. The Italian’s comeback was short-lived, as he ran out of gas in the fifth and final set.
It can be argued that Khachanov has played stronger opponents throughout the Australian Open. He has already defeated three seeded opponents compared to Tsitsipas’s one seeded foe. Three of Khachanov’s five matches went three sets. No player has pushed Khachanov more than four sets in the Australian Open.
There are arguments on both sides. Khachanov has played stronger opponents while Tsitsipas has a 5-0 record against the Russian. Friday’s semifinal should go five sets. Khachanov is playing too well to let Tsitsipas run away with the win. The odds on a five-set match are at 12/5.
Tsitsipas’s 5-0 record against Khachanov is fantastic. While it will be difficult to win a sixth straight match against the Russian, Tsitsipas could pull it off on Friday. He is at odds of 2/5 to win. The odds on a 3-2 Tsitsipas win are at odds of 9/2.
Our betting tips prediction is for Tsitsipas to pull off the victory against Khachanov in the semifinal and to finally reach the final of the Australian Open.
