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Match details
Fixture: Kyle Edmund vs Alexander Bublik
Date: 31 August 2020
Tournament: US Open 2020
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $39,024,000
Match timing: Not before 3 pm EDT, 12:30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN | India - Star Sports / Hotstar
Kyle Edmund vs Alexander Bublik preview
Now barely in the top 50, Kyle Edmund was ranked as high as World No. 14 two years ago. The Brit has fallen far from his best level, but he will have a chance to redeem himself against Alexander Bublik in the first round of the 2020 US Open.
Edmund showed he still has it in him just before the tour was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as he won the 2020 New York Open before upsetting World No. 20 Felix Auger-Aliassime at Acapulco. And while the lockdown didn't do the players any favors, Kyle Edmund tried to make the most out of it as he participated at the "Battle of The Brits" to get some match practice.
Edmund's opponent Alexander Bublik has not had a special 2020 by any means. The Uzbek trickster's highlight of the season so far has been a victory over Denis Shapovalov at Marseille.
Bublik did play some exhibition matches against semi-professional opponents in his country. However, it is unclear whether that level of match practice will be enough for the 23-year-old to weather Edmund's potent forehand.
Kyle Edmund vs Alexander Bublik head-to-head
The first round match in New York will be the first-ever career meeting between Kyle Edmund and Alexander Bublik, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Kyle Edmund vs Alexander Bublik prediction
Alexander Bublik had a career-best season in 2019, where the unorthodox player reached two ATP finals - at the Hall-of-Fame Open and the Chengdu Open. The Uzbek has impressed many with his dexterity and raw power, but it is his lack of commitment that has been a point of concern.
His opponent Kyle Edmund has suffered from his own woes in the last two years. He has failed to repeat his success at the 2018 Australian Open in what has been a serial case of low confidence and questionable outlook. That said, the Brit showed signs of his best in his three-set loss to Kevin Anderson at the Cincinnati Masters.
If Edmund's forehand finds its range at the 2020 US Open, he would be favored to get past Bublik and set up a second round showdown with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Prediction: Kyle Edmund to win in four sets.
