Dubai Tennis Championships 2021: Andrey Rublev vs Marton Fucsovics preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (2) Andrey Rublev vs Marton Fucsovics

Date: 18 March 2021

Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships 2021

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $1,897,805

Match timing: Approx. 8.30 pm local time, 10 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Andrey Rublev vs Marton Fucsovics preview

Andrey Rublev was in top form during his third-round counter with Taylor Fritz at the 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday. The fifth seed eased past his in-form opponent for the loss of just four games, and never really looked to be in trouble.

Awaiting Rublev in the last eight is Hungary's Marton Fucsovics, who has continued his purple patch by reaching his third quarterfinal of the year.

Marton Fucsovics

Fucsovics staged deep runs in his last two tournaments, reaching the summit clash in Rotterdam and the quarterfinals in Doha. He is now beginning to close in on a career-high ranking.

The Hungarian was drawn to play Rublev in Rotterdam and Doha too. But with a loss in the first match and a withdrawal in the second, he is yet to score a win over a top-10 opponent.

That, however, should not take away from Fucsovics' recent results. He has showcased immense character over the last couple of months, and could well ask a few questions of Rublev.

Andrey Rublev vs Marton Fucsovics head-to-head

Andrey Rublev holds terrific 15-2 win-loss record for the season

Andrey Rublev leads Marton Fucsovics in the head-to-head by a 3-2 margin. That said, the Russian hasn't dropped a match to Fucsovics since his five-set loss to him at the 2017 Davis Cup.

Andrey Rublev vs Marton Fucsovics prediction

Despite the huge gap in the rankings between Andrey Rublev and Marton Fucsovics, this could well end up being a close affair. And that's largely due to their recent form and familiarity with each other's game.

Rublev does hold a slight edge over his opponent though, given his impeccable 15-2 win-loss record for the season. Barring his loss in Doha, the Russian has looked sharp in all of other matches and will be a very tough opponent to beat.

For Marton Fucsovics, the key will lie in his ability to find a counter to Rublev's pacey serve and groundstrokes. Rublev has outhit his last two opponents with ease, and is likely to step out with a similar level of intent in this match as well.

The Hungarian is one of the strongest counterpunchers on the tour today, but even he will need to go into overdrive to stop Rublev's run at this point.

Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in two tight sets.