It has been less than a week since they last played, and Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev will face each other again, this time at the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
Matchups between some of the best players in the world are fairly common because it comes with the territory. The best players in the world become the best players in the world by consistently performing well.
If they consistently perform well, there is a bigger chance that they will face equally performing players, which will happen at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.
These two played last week at the Canadian Open in Montreal, and Rublev won that match. Sinner returned to tennis in Montreal after missing the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis.
The Russian battled the same illness earlier this year in May and seemed more shaken by it than his opponent. He didn't miss any events because of it, but his play suffered for a couple of weeks.
On the other hand, the World No. 1 player played fairly well last week, but the match against Rublev wasn't that great for him. He also seemed to have dealt with a leg injury, which appears to be fine this week in Cincinnati.
Head-to-head:
With last week's match, the duo have now faced each other eight times, and Sinner still has the upper hand, leading the H2H 5-3. Rublev won that last match in Montreal, but it was a bit bizarre.
The Russian won the opening set 6-3 mostly because he was untouchable on his first serve and converted a break point, which his then-22-year-old opponent didn't do.
The second set was a brilliant fightback from Sinner, who crushed Rublev 6-2 behind fantastic serving and solid baseline play. The final set was when the Italian dealt with a leg problem that hampered his play.
Before that match, Sinner had won three matches in a row in this matchup, so it's a matchup that generally suits him. There is a simple reason for that: consistency in hitting.
Rublev can hit as well as Sinner, no question, but his consistency can be questionable. Some weeks, he's unplayable, but other weeks, he can really struggle with his tennis.
This week, he has been playing at a great level. Sinner hasn't looked amazing in his only match so far, and Cincinnati hasn't been the best spot for him while Rublev played in the final in 2021.
| Andrey Rublev | Jannik Sinner | |
| 3 | H2H | 5 |
| 6 | Rank | 1 |
| 26 | Age | 23 |
| 34-16 | 2024 W/L | 45-5 |
| 326-174 | Career W/L | 235-79 |
Prediction:
It's an exciting matchup, but there are a few things we can take from last week's match and apply to this one. Sinner had a lot of problems when Rublev served pretty well, which was in the first and third sets.
Cincinnati has an even quicker court than Montreal; in fact, this year's edition is apparently the quickest ever, and that might be a problem for the Italian. If he can't create any pressure on the serve, then he might be a bit in trouble.
On the other hand, the speed will suit him well if he can serve well. Ultimately, it will simply come down to who has a better day serving and hitting.
Prediction: Jannik Sinner to win in three sets.
0 Comments