Andrey Rublev outplayed Sebastian Korda in the quarter-final of the 2024 Dubai Championships and will now look to do the same with Alexander Bublik.
The Kazakhstani player has taken tennis seriously this time around, and it's reflected in his results so far. He won a trophy already and is through to yet another semi-final in Dubai.
The opponent is a very tough one in Rublev, who knows these courts very well. The Russian has played well in Dubai before, and that's been the case this year as well.
The way he bested an in-form Sebastian Korda has been very impressive to see, and he's generally been really good this year. The problem for him is that he's not yet taken that step forward to another level, basically what Sinner did in recent months.
He won't need that level to beat Bublik but will he beat him? Let's examine closely.
Head-to-head:
Rublev beating Bublik has generally been the trend when they meet each other on the tennis court but there have been exceptions. Bublik has beaten Rublev once so far, but he's beaten him. He knows he can.
It was last year in Halle, and it was a pretty easy win. The Wimbledon matchup was a brutal five-setter, which Rublev managed to win, so lately, it's been a bit tricky for the Russian. He's been amazing in Dubai traditionally, so he's still the huge favorite.
| Andrey Rublev | Alexander Bublik | |
| 4 | H2H | 1 |
| 5 | Rank | 23 |
| 26 | Age | 26 |
| 14-3 | 2024 W/L | 12-4 |
| 303-161 | Career W/L | 136-129 |
Prediction:
Bublik will need to find a way to outlast Rublev from the baseline. His serve should give him an advantage as well, but that's only if he plays well.
There is no guarantee with him, even if he's been quite serious about his career recently. Somehow I still think Rublev will have enough to survive a rather close battle.
Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in three sets.
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