Karen Khachanov: 'I have positive vibes after facing Djokovic and Thiem'
The world no. 11 Karen Khachanov is among the players who made the most impressive breakthroughs in 2018, gaining almost 40 positions on the ATP list to almost crack the top-10 and lift his first Masters 1000 title in Paris, beating world no. 1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Karen claimed three indoor crowns in the season behind us and he had a chance to make his debut at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, facing some of the best players in the world in what has been the perfect preparation for all of them ahead of the new season.
On Thursday, Karen toppled Dominic Thiem 7-6, 6-3 to reach the semi-final and set another clash with Novak Djokovic that the Serb won 6-4, 6-2 after a solid battle in the opener. Djokovic proved to be too strong in the end but Karen was happy with the way he performed, overcoming a 5-2 deficit in the first set to reduce the deficit before Novak secured it with another break in game 10. Khachanov couldn't stay in touch with the mighty opponent in the rest of the encounter but he had a chance to score another win in the battle for the third place against Thiem who replaced Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard decided to withdraw after the semi-final loss to Kevin Anderson on Friday.
Facing the Austrian for the second time in three days, the Russian clinched a 6-3, 4-6, 10-3 win after a great performance in the match tie-break to leave Abu Dhabi with positive thoughts, heading to Doha where he will have to face the three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka already in the opening round.
"Positive three days here," Khachanov said "I practiced here and played real matches so it is a great way to start the season. OK, I played against Dominic twice and once against Novak. They are different opponents and different styles of play and to play real matches with them here has been great for me. Today was a good match. I think we had some nice and exciting rallies. I had a few opportunities against Novak in the first few games, I had 0-30 on his serve a few times. I didn't take them and after a tough game at 4-4 again I missed some shots and he played some good points to get the break. The Grand Slam run always depends on your game and your level. If you play bad, even if you are 11 or 35 you will not go deep you know. Of course, it helps to not face the top eight in the first three rounds, then if you play good you play them in the later rounds."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2QbFZom
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