Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the US Open match.
Karen Khachanov has battled his way back into the world’s top 10 for the first time in almost six years, thanks to a strong summer swing on American hard courts.
Kamil Majchrzak
His next opponent, Kamil Majchrzak, has rediscovered some form after the best season of his career back in 2022. The Pole climbed to a career-high of 75th back then and is now close to matching that, sitting at No.76 in the rankings. In 2025 he has a positive ATP record (10-8), with his most notable scalp being world No.41 Alexandre Müller in Marrakech earlier this year. Comparable in level is Nuno Borges (No.42), whom Majchrzak beat just last week in Winston-Salem. At Flushing Meadows he has already battled past world No.121 Hugo Dellien in a gruelling match that stretched beyond three hours.
Karen Khachanov
Khachanov, meanwhile, is now not only world No.9 but also Russia’s top-ranked player, overtaking Daniil Medvedev whose form has dipped. The 29-year-old, with his trademark beard and smile, enjoyed a superb run to the Toronto Masters final, only losing to Ben Shelton in a third-set tie-break after an epic battle. Shelton, too, has been in rapid ascent in recent months. In Cincinnati, Khachanov fell to world No.3 Alexander Zverev, but only after withdrawing due to back pain — an issue he later reassured fans was purely precautionary ahead of the US Open. So far in New York he has backed up that confidence, seeing off American Nishesh Basavareddy in four sets in the opening round.
Karen Khachanov vs Kamil Majchrzak Prediction
The head-to-head is one-sided: Khachanov leads 4-0 against Majchrzak, winning three of those meetings in straight sets. Expect more of the same here in round two.
