Khachanov, Medvedev in Action on Day 4 in Almaty

Second-round action continues on a pivotal Thursday at the Almaty Arena, as the top two seeds – Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev – open accounts.
 
Here’s a look at each of the four second-round matches scheduled for Day 4.
 
[1] Karen Khachanov vs Jan-Lennard Struff
Head-to-Head: Khachanov leads, 3-1
 
The defending champion will take the court for the first time on Thursday evening, facing German Jan-Lennard Struff in a battle of hard-hitting pugilists.
 
Struff, who defeated Mackenzie McDonald in three sets on Wednesday, is excited for the challenge.
 
«It's gonna be a tough match. I know I need to play good tennis tomorrow,» he said as he looked forward to the battle with the world No.10. «We played a couple of matches, very, very close ones, intense ones. I know that he's an amazing player. He has a lot of energy. He has a lot of power in his game.»
 
Struff has only won once in four previous matches with Khachanov, but that victory came in their only previous ATP-level match on indoor hard court, in Paris in 2019.
 
«I have a lot of power in the game, too,» Struff warned. «So there won't be that many slow balls in this game, I believe.»
 
 
[2] Daniil Medvedev vs Adam Walton
Head-to-Head: Walton leads, 1-0
 
Second-seeded Daniil Medvedev will be looking for revenge against Aussie Adam Walton in Thursday’s third match on Center Court. The former world No.1, who makes his Almaty Open debut (he reached the semifinals in Astana in 2022), was defeated by Walton 6-7(0), 6-4, 6-1 in Cincinnati in August.
 
14th-ranked Medvedev has had a difficult season but he comes to Almaty with renewed purpose, on the heels of reaching back-to-back semifinals in Beijing and Shanghai. With his new coach Tomas Johansson, Medvedev appears to be finding his elite tennis once again.
 
The 29-year-old has already been in Almaty for three days, and says he is adjusting well to the different conditions.
 
«These three days weren’t easy because we came from Shanghai, which is far and had really brutal conditions,» Medvedev told reporters. «So it’s been more about recovery than tennis. My game is already quite complete, but we’re always looking to make small improvements — adding little details here and there.»
 
[6] Alex Michelsen vs Aleksandar Vukic
Head-to-Head: First ATP meeting (Michelsen leads 2-0 on challenger and futures matches)
 
Alex Michelsen stormed past Beibit Zhukayev 6-2, 6-3 on his tournament debut on Wednesday, looking like a man on a mission. Next he’ll face Australian Aleksander Vukic for a spot in the quarterfinals.
 
Michelsen, the youngest player remaining in the draw at 21 years of age, will take confidence from the fact that he has defeated Vukic in two previous meetings, but they’ve never met on the ATP Tour.
 
84th-ranked Vukic will have confidence as well – he reached the semifinals in Almaty last year and nearly defeated eventual champion Khachanov once there, losing 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4.
 
[4] Luciano Darderi vs Shintaro Mochizuki
Head-to-Head: First meeting
 
Mochizuki, a former ITF junior No.1, is up to a career-high No.99 in the ATP live rankings after his impressive win on Wednesday against Frenchman Arthur Cazaux. The 22-year-old Japanese has lost nine consecutive matches against Top 50 talent, so he’ll have his hands full against 26th-ranked Darderi, who is playing at a career-high ranking and bidding for his 30th win of the season ahead of his Almaty debut.