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Fixture: (6) Holger Rune vs Alexander Bublik
Date: Friday, April 28
Tournament: Madrid Masters 2023
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €7,705,780
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Holger Rune vs Alexander Bublik preview
Sixth seed Holger Rune gets his Madrid Masters campaign underway against Alexander Bublik.
The seventh-ranked Rune is 21-8 on the season. He's coming off his first title of the season last week in Munich. He beat Botic van de Zandschulp in a third-set tiebreak, in a rematch of the previous year's title match. The Danish teenager has exhibited strong form on clay in 2023, reaching the Monte-Carlo final (lost to Andrey Rublev) a week before that.
Rune has had a solid overall season, reaching the Australian Open second week and the semifinals in Montpellier. He also reached the last four in Acapulco before going 3-2 at the Sunshine Double. The Dane has found form on clay, going 7-1, and is making his Madrid debut.
Meanwhile, World No. 55 Bublik notched up only his fifth win in 19 matches this year, seeing off Daniel Elahi Galan in three sets. The 25-year-old Kazakh made a wretched start to the year. He lost his first eight matches before getting off the mark at Marseille, where he reached the last four.
Bublik then endured five more losses after winning his Dubai opener before snapping that run against Galan. The Kazakh is 4-2 in Madrid, with three of them coming during his quarterfinal run two years ago.
Holger Rune vs Alexander Bublik head-to-head
Rune lost his lone meeting with Bublik in the Metz quarterfinals last year. The pair haven't met on clay.
Holger Rune vs Alexander Bublik odds
(All odds as per BETMGM)
Holger Rune vs Alexander Bublik prediction
Both Rune and Bublik like to dominate opponents from the baseline and have aggressive games.
Both are big servers, hit powerful groundstrokes and move well. However, Rune takes the edge in terms of his superior consistency and pedigree, especially on clay. Meanwhile, Bublik's inconsistency is his bane.
Rune is 25-19 on the surface, winning two titles (both in Munich) and reaching the Monte-Carlo final two weeks ago. Bublik, meanwhile, is only 12-22 on red dirt. Although Rune lost his only meeting with Bublik, he should win this claycourt matchup.
Pick: Rune in straight sets
