Kevin Anderson beats Georgian number one in Round of 64, Karen Khachanov in Round of 32
Joburg-born Kevin Anderson has comfortably outplayed Georgian number one Nikoloz Basilashvili in the ATP Masters’ Round of 64 on Sunday March 25. The win over the Russian player Karen Khachanov followed on Tuesday, awarding the 31-year-old athlete the spot in the last 16.
On Sunday the court saw the world’s number eight in tennis Kevin Anderson defeat the Georgian number one Nikoloz Basilashvili in both sets with the score 6:4, 6:3.
Anderson, who is notorious for his power serves, once again showed off clear dominance regarding this game element. According to the results, the South African collected 16 aces with the service-hold percentage making 88% as compared to Basilashvili’s 68%. It took only 49 minutes in the first set and 38 minutes in the second for Anderson to outdo his opponent.
Anderson managed to perform three break points, whereas the Georgian made only one break service.
Having been dropped out from the tournament, Basilashvili still achieved 25 ranking points and won $25,5 000.
Having played flawlessly in the Round of 64, the South African demonstrated his expertise in the match with the Russian player Karen Khachanov. The latter previously saw off Marius Copil from Romania in both sets – 7:5, 6:3.
Khachanov, the world’s number 41, was defeated by Anderson with the score 6:4, 2:6, 3:6. The game lasted just under 2 hours. During this time, the 21-year-old Khachanov performed 7 aces, two first-serve faults and one break point, whereas Anderson made three breaks.
The next rival of the South African tennis player is still to be determined. It will be either Czech Tomáš Berdych or American Frances Tiafoe. Live broadcast of the event will be available.
The Miami tournament runs until April 1. The winners’ pot is almost $8 million.
