2021 Dubai Tennis Championships Quarter-Final – Aslan Karatsev vs Jannik Sinner Preview & Prediction

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THE FACTS

Where is Aslan Karatsev vs Jannik Sinner taking place? Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai, UAE

When is Aslan Karatsev vs Jannik Sinner on and what time does it start? Thursday 18^th March, 2021 – not before 12:20 (UK)

What surface is Aslan Karatsev vs Jannik Sinner being played on? Hard (outdoor)

Where can I get tickets for Aslan Karatsev vs Jannik Sinner? No tickets are available as this event will be held behind closed doors

What channel is Aslan Karatsev vs Jannik Sinner on? This match will not be televised live in the UK

Where can I stream Aslan Karatsev vs Jannik Sinner? Amazon Prime subscribers can stream the match live via their platform. Subscribers of Tennis TV can also stream the match live

THE PREDICTION

World number 42 and 2021’s surprise package so far Aslan Karatsev beat the 17^th seed Lorenzo Sonego in three sets on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Dubai Open on his debut. The Russian is disrupting the tour in a big way with his sudden appearance from the blue last month as he miraculously raced through to the semi-finals of the Australian Open, also on debut, before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic and his form simply does not compute. This will be a truly fascinating first meeting between 27-year-old Karatsev and fellow rising star Jannik Sinner, though the Italian is a much younger new force on the scene at 19 years old and ranked 32^nd in the world. Sinner beat last week’s Qatar Open runner-up Roberto Bautista Agut over three sets in the round of 16 in a really impressive, statement victory but he will have to maintain his level and perhaps then some against this difficult Russian. Karatsev is really confusing players on court right now and his mental toughness gets him out of deep holes but Sinner’s youth could be his saviour here with roughly the same tour experience as his foe. A winner would be practically guesswork in this first meeting. Take this to go to three sets with both players likely to peak and trough throughout.