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Fixture: (7) Andrey Rublev vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Tournament: Cincinnati Open
Round: Second Round (Round of 32)
Date: August 16, 2023
Venue: Cincinnati, USA
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $6,600,000
Live telecast:- USA: Tennis Channel | UK: Amazon Prime | Australia: beIN Sports | Canada: TSN
Andrey Rublev vs Emil Ruusuvuori preview
Seventh seed Andrey Rublev will open his Cincinnati Open campaign against Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori on Wednesday after a first-round bye.
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World No. 8 Rublev is coming off a surprise opening-round loss to American Mackenzie McDonald at the Canada Open in Toronto last week to drop to 40-16 on the season.
Despite the setback, the 25-year-old Russian is in the midst of a decent season, making his Masters 1000 breakthrough at Monte-Carlo and winning his 14th singles title in Bastad. Rublev has also made three finals (Dubai, Banja Luka, Halle) this year.
Rublev also made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the fourth round at Indian Wells and Miami. Rublev has an 8-5 record at Cincinnati, with four of those wins coming during his run to the final in 2021. He made the third round last year.
Meanwhile, the 60th-ranked Ruusuvuori opened his campaign with a straight-sets win over Corentin Moutet. After dropping four games in the opener, the 24-year-old conceded only two in the second set as he improved to 22-21 in 2023.
Ruusuvuori's best results this year include a semifinal run at 's-Hertogenbosch and reaching the last eight at Miami. The Finn lost in the first round at the Canada Open last week.
With his win over Moutet, Ruusuvuori improved to 3-2 in Cincinnati, where he made the second round last year after also doing so on his competition debut in 2020.
Andrey Rublev vs Emil Ruusuvuori head-to-head
Rublev has won both his meetings with Ruusuvuori - including the pair's last meeting in the Australian Open second round this year in four sets. This will be their third clash on hardcourt.
Andrey Rublev vs Emil Ruusuvuori odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Andrey Rublev vs Emil Ruusuvuori prediction
Both Rublev and Ruusuvuori like to dominate opponents from the back of the court, but the similarities in their game styles end there.
Ruud is a big server, fierce hitter of the ball off either flank and also moves well, while Ruusuvuori has more modest weapons. Moreover, the Russian takes the edge because of his superior experience, consistency and pedigree, especially on hardcourt, where he has a 190-106 record and nine titles. Ruusuvuori, meanwhile, is only 69-53 on the surface.
If that's not enough, Rublev has dominated both his meetings with Ruusuvuori, and the trend should continue as he seeks a swift return to winning ways.
Pick: Rublev in straight sets
