Dubai Tennis Championships 2022: Andrey Rublev vs Hubert Hurkacz preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match Details

Fixture: (2) Andrey Rublev vs (5) Hubert Hurkacz

Tournament: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2022.

Date: 25 February 2022.

Round: Semifinals

Venue: Dubai, UAE.

Category: ATP 500.

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.

Prize money: $2,794,840

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.

Andrey Rublev vs Hubert Hurkacz preview

Andrey Rublev has produced some fine comebacks in Dubai

Second seed Andrey Rublev will take on fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday.

The 24-year-old Russian started his 2022 season at the Australian Open and strolled into the third round following comprehensive wins over Gianluca Mager and Ricardas Berankis. However, he was stunned 7-5, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3 by the experienced Marin Cilic. Rublev's early exit in Melbourne caused him to drop down a spot to seventh in the ATP rankings.

The Russian reached the semifinals of the Rotterdam Open before losing to eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime. He faced the Canadian again next week in the final of the Open 13. Rublev won this time around in straight sets to win his ninth career title.

The 24-year-old entered the Dubai Tennis Championships as the second seed and started by beating Dan Evans in straight sets. Rublev then defeated Kwon Soon-woo and Mackenzie McDonald in three sets to reach the semifinals.

Hurkacz had a strong start to 2022 as he impressed for Poland in the ATP Cup. The 25-year-old beat Aristotelis Thanos, Aleksandre Metreveli and Diego Schwartzman to help his country reach the semifinals of the tournament where he lost to Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.

Hurkacz had a disappointing Australian Open as he was eliminated in the second round by Adrian Mannarino. The Pole endured another second-round exit at the Rotterdam Open after losing to Lorenzo Musetti.

He entered the Dubai Tennis Championships as the fifth seed and has reached the quarterfinals following convincing victories over Alexander Bublik and Alex Molcan. Hurkacz then beat fourth seed Jannik Sinner in straight sets to seal his place in the semifinals.

Andrey Rublev vs Hubert Hurkacz head-to-head

Friday's match in Dubai will be the third meeting between the two players. Hurkacz has won both of their previous encounters, the first of which came at the 2020 Rome Masters. The Pole won the match 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-2.

Their second meeting was in the semifinals of the Miami Masters last year, with Hurkacz winning 6-3, 6-4. He eventually went on to win the tournament, defeating Jannik Sinner in the final.

Andrey Rublev vs Hubert Hurkacz prediction

It's hard to say who will be the clear favorite in this encounter since both players have done very well lately. Rublev has been in pretty good form this year, winning 12 out of 14 matches so far.

Hurkacz has a decent record this year as well, winning eight out of 11 matches so far. However, the Pole's graph tapered a little during his Australian Open and Rotterdam Open campaigns. Nonetheless, he has played very well in Dubai and can make things difficult for Rublev.

The Russian will be aggressive and will try to trouble his opponent through his serve and powerful groundstrokes. Rublev has also managed to come out of tough situations in this tournament and his mentality will come in handy against someone of Hurkacz's quality.

The Pole is also a good server and will rely on that shot for quick points. Hurkacz also has great court coverage and variety, which will enable him to cope with Rublev's aggressive baseline game.

The match will be a tightly-contested one but in the end, Hurkacz might just be able to end the Russian's good run and qualify for his first final of 2022.

Prediction: Hurkacz to win in three sets.