12th-seeded Karen Khachanov will face Arthur Rinderknech in the first round of the 2026 Monte-Carlo Masters. Khachanov has a 7-7 win-loss record this year, with his best outing being a quarterfinal finish in Doha, where he lost in a three-set contest to the eventual champion, Carlos Alcaraz. On the other hand, Rinderknech has a losing record, with his best being a quarterfinal finish in Dubai.
Karen Khachanov vs. Arthur Rinderknech Match Details
Date: April 6, 2026
Tournament: Monte-Carlo Masters 2026
Round: First Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France
Surface: Outdoor clay
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
Khachanov vs. Rinderknech Head-to-Head
The head-to-head is 1-0 in favor of Rinderknech, as the French player won his only match against Khachanov, 7-6(7), 7-5, in Adelaide back in 2022.
Khachanov’s form has been shaky this year, with two opening-round exits in Hong Kong and Indian Wells. He also could not get past the second round in Rotterdam and Dubai, losing to the likes of Jaume Munar and Jenson Brooksby. He did win a couple of matches in Doha but could not go any further, as he faced an in-form Carlos Alcaraz.
His last event was Miami, where he lost in the third round to Martin Landaluce.
Rinderknech has not done well at tour-level events, aside from his wins at the Davis Cup and the United Cup. He began his season with three opening-round exits at the Australian Open, Rotterdam, and Doha.
He won two matches in Dubai against the likes of Fabian Marozsan and Jack Draper, before losing out to former champion Andrey Rublev. He has had tough draws a couple of times, facing a red-hot Alcaraz twice in Doha and Indian Wells.
Prediction for Khachanov vs. Rinderknech
This will be the first clay-court event for both players this season. Khachanov’s career stats, on the surface, show that he relies on a strong serve and looks to convert break-point opportunities on clay.
Rinderknech, similarly, relies on his serve on clay. He has shown an ability to save break points in his clay-court matches while looking to capitalize on his own break point chances on the surface.
Clay-court records show that Khachanov has yet to reach a clay-court final, and he has a modest record in Monte-Carlo, with one quarterfinal appearance in 2024, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Rinderknech has also not reached a clay-court final and has played only one main-draw match in Monte-Carlo back in 2022, which he lost to Fabio Fognini.
PFSN Simulator has assigned a 64% win probability to Khachanov, which is not surprising, as the Russian player has the strokeplay and the rally tolerance to outlast Rinderknech on a court like Monte-Carlo.
Pick: Khachanov to win in straight sets.
