Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Halle match.
Buoyed by his run to the final in ’s-Hertogenbosch, Zizou Bergs will aim to build on that momentum as he faces world No. 22 Karen Khachanov. Khachanov was eliminated in the second round of his previous tournament and will be eager to bounce back from that disappointment.
Zizou Bergs
Zizou Bergs delivered a strong showing in ’s-Hertogenbosch, but much of his success can be attributed to a relatively favourable draw. His wins came against Alexei Popyrin, who is currently struggling for form, a fatigued Reilly Opelka, and players ranked outside the top 100. In three of those matches, Bergs only scraped through, requiring tiebreaks to secure victory. Over the course of his career, the Belgian has played just two matches on grass against top-30 opponents, with one win and one defeat.
Karen Khachanov
Karen Khachanov has consistently produced strong performances in Halle, reaching at least the quarter-finals in four of his last five appearances. He has also won the opening round match in four of his last five grass-court tournaments. With an excellent first serve – winning 75% of points on average – dependable baseline play, and tactical maturity, Khachanov generally handles early-round contests with little trouble. He also holds a prior head-to-head win over Zizou Bergs from 2020, though that came on a hard court.
Zizou Bergs vs Karen Khachanov Prediction
Zizou Bergs comes into this clash following a physically taxing tournament and several narrow victories, which suggests he may struggle to maintain a high level throughout. Karen Khachanov is the clear favourite and is expected to control proceedings, likely winning by a margin of at least three games.
