(Tennis news) Andrey Rublev competed in the grass court competition after a discouraging French Open third-round exit. He defeated Yannick Hanfmann 7-6(6), 6-3 in the second round to go to the quarterfinals after defeating Wu Yibing 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2 in the opening round. Rublev encountered Tallon Griekspoor in this situation and was defeated.
He recovered, though, to win the second set 6-3 and romped to a 5-2 advantage in the championship match. Tallon Griekspoor demonstrated some fight by winning the following two games, but the Russian ultimately prevailed 6-4 to advance to the Terra Wortmann Open semifinals.
At the ATP 500 competition, Roberto Bautista Agut defeated Andrea Vavassori in straight sets to start his season. He then defeated Brandon Nakashima in two close sets, 7-5, 7-6(2), to advance to the quarterfinals and face top seed Daniil Medvedev.
Serving was broken in the first two games of the match. Then, until 5-5, both players kept their serves. After keeping serve once more, Bautista Agut broke Medvedev in the last game to win the opening set 7-5. A close match ensued in the second set, as neither player was able to break the other’s serve. The Terra Wortmann Open set would be decided by a tiebreak, which Bautista Agut won 7-3 to advance to the semifinals.
Head-to-Head
The two players are presently deadlocked 4-4 in their head-to-head matchup. The Spaniard prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in their most recent encounter, which took place in the opening round of the 2023 Adelaide International.
Predictions
Although Bautista Agut defeated Medvedev, Andrey Rublev will be the favourite going into the match. The Spaniard has also put on some impressive displays on grass.
Rublev has already produced 31 aces in Halle, so his serve will be a very potent surface weapon. Despite being an aggressive player, the Russian has recently played in tournaments with a low unforced error rate. He appears much calmer on the court, which will undoubtedly be helpful.
Only five aces have been served by Bautista Agut in his three encounters in Halle so far. He has won 106 out of 130 points with his first serve, which is a very strong stat. The Spaniard can quickly switch from defence to offence and is a skilled counterpuncher. If he wants to compete in the Halle final, he must repeat his performance against Medvedev.
Rublev won’t have it easy, but with his present form and strong serves and forehands, he should be able to advance to the ATP 500 competition final.
Andrey Rublev to win in 3 sets (2-1)
Also read: Alexander Zverev set to play Alexander Bublik in the semis
