Dubai Tennis Championships 2021: Andrey Rublev vs Taylor Fritz preview, head-to-head & prediction

Fixture: (2) Andrey Rublev vs (15) Taylor Fritz

Date: 17 March 2021

Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships 2021

Round: Third round (Round of 16)

Venue: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $1,897,805

Match timing: Approx. 8.30 pm local time, 10 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Andrey Rublev vs Taylor Fritz preview

The third round of the 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships will see Andrey Rublev take on Taylor Fritz for a spot in the last eight on Wednesday.

Fritz, who has made a solid start to the season, is in pursuit of his second straight ATP 500 quarterfinal. The American has already avenged his loss to Nikoloz Basilashvili at last week's Qatar Open by defeating the Georgian in the second round in Dubai, and will look to carry the momentum further.

Andrey Rublev

Rublev, meanwhile, eased past his second round opponent without much fuss. The Russian needed a little over an hour to come through against Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori.

Rublev is fresh off an eighth title win in Rotterdam, and has been in good touch in recent weeks. And with the early exits of big names like Dominic Thiem, the 23-year-old will be fancying his chances of a first title in Dubai as well.

Andrey Rublev vs Taylor Fritz head-to-head

Taylor Fritz has scored two top-20 wins this season

Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz played each other twice in 2018; while the American won their first meeting, his opponent was able to pull one back in the next. Thus, their current head-to-head stands at a 1-1 deadlock.

Andrey Rublev vs Taylor Fritz prediction

Andrey Rublev is the favorite on paper here, but the second seed will be expecting a very tough fight from Taylor Fritz.

Fritz has held his own against the likes of Novak Djokovic and Denis Shapovalov this season, and has looked sharp with his baseline game. Against Rublev, he will need to step out with the same intent that has seen him through some of these other big matches.

The Russian did get a taste of some big-hitting in his match against Ruusuvuori, and managed to come up trumps in the face of immense pressure. While Fritz has been on the cusp of a big breakthrough now, if Rublev can continue to bring his A-game, he should be able to fend off the American in this match.

Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in three sets.