Dubai Tennis Championships 2023: Andrey Rublev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (2) Andrey Rublev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships.

Round: Second round (Round of 16).

Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Center, Dubai.

Category: ATP 500.

Surface: Outdoor hard court.

Prize money: $3,020,525.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.

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Andrey Rublev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina preview

Andrey Rublev in action at the Australian Open

Reigning champion Andrey Rublev will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Rublev has won six out of 11 matches so far during the 2023 season, with his best performance being reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Rublev also made it to the last eight of the Qatar Open before losing 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to Jiri Lehecka. He then competed at the Dubai Tennis Championships and booked his place in the second round of the tournament with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Filip Krajnovic.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has won seven out of 12 matches so far this season, most notably reaching the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International 2 and the Qatar Open.

As far as other tournaments are concerned, he endured second-round exits at the Australian Open and the Open Sud de France while losing to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev in the first round of the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.

The Spaniard entered the Dubai Tennis Championships unseeded and sealed his place in the second round with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-0 win over Tunisian wildcard Malek Jaziri.

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Andrey Rublev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina head-to-head

Rublev leads 1-0 in the head-to-head against Davidovich Fokina. He beat the latter 7-5, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 in their previous meeting in the second round of the 2020 French Open.

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Andrey Rublev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (Over and Under)
Andrey Rublev	-250	-1.5 (+100)	Over 21.5 (-145)
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina	+190	+1.5 (-140)	Under 21.5 (+100)

All odds are sourced from BETMGM.

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Andrey Rublev vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina prediction

Rublev will enter the match as the favorite to win, but Davidovich Fokina is quite a tricky opponent and can make things difficult for the Russian if he is at his best.

Rublev's aggressive baseline game has often made life difficult for even the best of players at times. He will rely heavily on his powerful first serve and forehand to put himself in the driver's seat. However, the 25-year-old will have to be careful not to hit too many unforced errors.

Davidovich Fokina has an adventurous style of play with his powerful shots and on-court movement. The Spaniard's stamina could come in handy while dealing with Rublev's ferocity. He is among the finest practitioners of drop shots on the ATP Tour and will look to often use it to baffle the Russian.

Rublev may not have the easiest of matches, but he should be able to defeat Davidovich Fokina with his quality and move on to the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.