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Match Details
Fixture: (2) Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik
Date: July 18, 2022
Tournament: Hamburg European Open
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Hamburg, Germany
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Clay
Prize money: €1,770,865
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik preview
Second seed Andrey Rublev will face Alexander Bublik in the first round of the Hamburg European Open. The Russian has had a pretty decent season so far, with 29 wins from 38 matches and three titles to his name.
He won the Open 13 in Marseille by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final and followed it up by triumphing at the Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating Jiri Vesely in the title clash. Rublev also reached the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters, where he lost to Taylor Fritz.
The Russian's third title this year came at the Serbia Open, where he beat Novak Djokovic in the final in three sets.
After being unable to compete at Wimbledon, Rublev entered the Nordea Open in Bastad as the second seed and reached the semifinals with wins over Federico Coria and Laslo Djere. Here, he was beaten by Sebastian Baez in straight sets.
Bublik has won 22 out of 39 matches so far this season, having won the Open Sud de France by beating Alexander Zverev in the final.
After being eliminated in the third round of Wimbledon, the Kazakh entered the Hall of Fame Open in Newport as the third seed and reached his second final of the season with wins over Jack Sock, Andy Murray and Jason Kubler. He will face Maxime Cressy in the title clash.
Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik head-to-head
Rublev has a perfect head-to-head record against Bublik, winning all three of their contests to date. The first meeting between the two came in the first round of the Kremlin Cup in 2019, with the former winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
The following week, Rublev and Bublik met in the first round of the Vienna Open and the former won 6-1, 6-7(3), 7-6(6). The two players once again locked horns in the last 16 of the Rotterdam Open in 2020 and the Russian came out with a 7-5, 6-3 win.
The winner of Monday's match takes on either Francisco Cerundolo or Daniel Altmaier in the last 16 of the Hamburg European Open.
Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik odds
All odds sourced from bet365.
Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik prediction
Rublev will enter the match as the heavy favorite given his current form and his quality on clay. The Russian has won 11 out of 15 matches on the surface this season, compared to Bublik's two wins from eight.
While Rublev has a powerful serve, his forehand will probably be a more crucial weapon on clay. The Russian will look to dictate the play from the baseline and put pressure on his opponent using his powerful shots.
Bublik will rely heavily on his serve, which is currently one of the best in the game. However, the Kazakh is prone to double-faults on clay, having served 64 of those in eight matches this season. He will have to be at his absolute best to stand a chance of winning.
Rublev is a much better player on clay and it's hard to see him not come out on top against Bublik.
Pick: Rublev to win in straight sets.
