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Match Details
Fixture: (5) Andrey Rublev vs (WC) Dominic Thiem.
Date: 17 January 2023.
Tournament: Australian Open 2023.
Round: First round (Round of 128).
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize Money: A$76,500,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv.
Andrey Rublev vs Dominic Thiem preview
World No. 6 Andrey Rublev will square off against 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open on Tuesday.
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Rublev enjoyed considerable success last year. He made a couple of Grand Slam quarterfinals, won four titles, reached the semifinals of the ATP Finals and finished in the top 10 for the third straight season. However, he's off to a disappointing start this year.
Rublev first competed in the Adelaide International 1, where he lost to Roberto Baustista Agut in the opening round. He won the first set but went on to lose the match in three sets. He then participated in the Adelaide International 2 and drew defending champion Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round but lost to him in three sets. He is a former quarterfinalist at the Australian Open, making the last eight back in 2021.
Thiem returned to action in March 2021 after a lengthy injury lay-off and fell in the opening round of his first seven tournaments. He improved a bit after that, making it to the semifinals of the Swiss Open, along with a couple of other quarterfinal showings.
Towards the end of the season, Thiem reached the semifinals in Gijon and Antwerp, ultimately finishing the year with a 18-16 win-loss record. He started 2023 by competing in the qualifying rounds in Adelaide, but failed to get past the first hurdle. He is a former runner-up at the Australian Open, going down to Novak Djokovic in five sets in the summit clash back in 2020.
Andrey Rublev vs Dominic Thiem head-to-head
Rublev leads Thiem 4-2 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Gijon Open in straight sets.
Andrey Rublev vs Dominic Thiem odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Andrey Rublev vs Dominic Thiem prediction
Both are on the hunt for their first win of 2023. Rublev fought well enough in his two losses, going down in three sets in each of them. Thiem, on the other hand, lost his match quite handily. The Austrian has had his moments of brilliance on the court since his comeback, but sustaining it for longer periods has been a concern.
Rublev's odds of winning this encounter remain high despite his poor start to the year. While Thiem managed to win their first couple of matches, the Russian has since remained unbeaten against him, winning four in a row.
Rublev's aggressive brand of tennis puts Thiem on the backfoot, from which the Austrian is unable to recover. The World No. 6 does have a tendency to blow a decent lead from time to time, which could give the former US Open champion an opening to stage a comeback.
The duo are in the midst of a brief rough patch and would love to turn things around soon, especially at a Major. Rublev's a tough match-up for Thiem even at his best, so the Russian is likely to emerge victorious yet again.
Pick: Andrey Rublev to win in four sets.
