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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Alexander Bublik vs Arthur Fils
Date: October 22, 2023
Tournament: European Open 2023
Round: Final
Venue: Lotto Arena, Antwerp, Belgium
Category: ATP 250
Surface: Hard (indoor)
Prize money: €673,630
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Canada - TSN
Alexander Bublik vs Arthur Fils preview
Third seed Alexander Bublik will face fourth seed Arthur Fils in the final of the European Open in Antwerp.
Bublik received a bye to the second round of the ATP 250 event by virtue of being one of the top four seeds in the tournament. He started the tournament with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Gregoire Barrere.
The Kazakh followed it up by beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to set up a semifinal clash against Maximilian Marterer.
Bublik won the opening set 6-4 after breaking serve in the very first game. He saved three break points early in the second set before breaking Marterer's serve in the seventh game to lead 4-3. This turned out to be decisive as he won the set 6-4 to book his place in the final of the European Open.
Like Bublik, Fils also received a walkover to the second round of the ATP 250 event in Antwerp because he was among the top four seeds. The Frenchman won a tense second-round clash 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) against Estonian wildcard Mark Lajal to reach the quarterfinals.
Here, Fils thrashed eighth seed Juan Pablo Varillas 6-0, 6-3 to set up a semifinal clash against top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 19-year-old had a set point in the opening set but the Greek saved it and a tiebreak ensued. Fils won it 7-5 to take the lead in the match.
The second set saw the Frenchman break Tsitsipas early before the latter broke back to level the scores at 5-5. Another tiebreak was played and Fils won it 7-4 to seal his spot in the final of the European Open.
Alexander Bublik vs Arthur Fils head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two is currently tied at 0-0 as they haven't had any previous encounters in the main draw of the ATP Tour.
Alexander Bublik vs Arthur Fils odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Alexander Bublik vs Arthur Fils prediction
Both players are quite evenly matched ranking wise but Fils' 19-14 record this season is relatively better compared to Bublik's 21 wins out of 46 matches.
The Kazakh has been incredibly strong on his first serve so far in Antwerp, winning 100 out of 111 points (90.1%) with 31 aces to his name. However, he has also served 20 double faults and will hope to serve fewer of those.
Bublik's serve is among the best on the ATP Tour at present and he will look to fetch as many free points as possible through aces. The 26-year-old has often produced moments of brilliance and he will be eager to have more of those in the final.
Fils has produced decent numbers on his first serve so far in Antwerp, winning 110 out of 138 points (79.7%) and serving 25 aces. Like Bublik, the Frenchman will also look to make the most out of his serve while looking for the odd decisive break.
Eventually, it will come down to who remains more composed on court and Bublik could get the win if he maintains a strong mentality throughout the match.
Prediction: Alexander Bublik to win in three sets.
