Christopher O’Connell will face Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open. The match will start on February 23 at 15:00 UK time.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #1 – Handicap (-5.5) for Medvedev – 1.78.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #2 – Total Games Under 20 – 1.70.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #3 – 1st Set Games Under 9.5 – 1.592.
O’Connell had a bit of luck in previous matches. The Australian could have shut his racquet against Bautista Agut, but he got lucky. It won’t be the same for Medvedev. The Russian is by far the better player, so Christopher will probably not be able to put up much of a fight against Daniil.
Medvedev left no chance for the Australian in the US Open in 2020. The Russian then handled Christopher reasonably well. It is unlikely that O’Connell will be able to do better now.
Christopher won two matches in a row at the ATP main draw level for the first time this year.
He had previously failed to reach the first round in Adelaide and the Australian Open, losing to Tommy Paul (4-6, 5-7) and Jenson Brooksby (6-3, 2-6, 3-6, 2-6), accordingly.
In Doha, O’Connell started by defeating Fernando Verdasco (6-1, 3-6, 6-0).
In the second round, the Australian pulled off a huge upset as he defeated Roberto Bautista Agut (3-6, 7-6, 6-4). O’Connell scored a break in the second set.
O’Connell has won a total of four matches out of nine this season. In other matches, the Australian has beaten Rinky Hijikata and Maximilian Neuchrist.
O’Connell will play in his third career ATP-level quarter-final.
Medvedev failed to make a good start to the season. The Russian failed to perform well in Adelaide and at the Australian Open. In the first, he reached the semi-finals, while in the second, he shuffled off in the third round.
Daniil, meanwhile, was seeded and started in the second round of the Qatar Open.
In the first match, Medvedev defeated Liam Broady (6-4, 6-3).
He was not crushed as expected. Moreover, the Russian was losing with a break in the first set.
Medvedev, however, recovered very quickly, but the game was still a nervous one. In the second set, Daniil calmly grinded his way to victory.
Medvedev’s winning streak now stands at six games. Last week, he took the title in Rotterdam, defeating Jannik Sinner (5-7, 6-2, 6-2) in the final encounter.
Medvedev has won ten consecutive matches as a clear favourite.
Type of Court – Indoor Hard
Speed of Court – 6/10
Christopher O’Connell’s Rating – 94
Christopher O’Connell Wins/Losses in 2023 – 4/5
Daniil Medvedev’s Rating – 8
Daniil Medvedev Wins/Losses in 2023 – 11/2
In 3 of Medvedev’s last 5 matches, less than 9.5 games have been played in the first set. We offer to bet on “1st Set Games Under 9.5” with odds of 1.592.
Medvedev leads with a score of 1-0 in the head-to-head encounters. The only time they met was at the US Open in 2020. In that match, Medvedev defeated O’Connell (6-3, 6-2, 6-4) in three sets.
The match will be played in Center Court, Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar.
We recommend checking out the odds for the Qatar Open: Christopher O’Connell vs Daniil Medvedev at 1xBet and VBET.