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Match Details
Fixture: (2) Andrey Rublev vs (7) Alexander Bublik
Date: March 1, 2024
Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships 2024
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $2,941,785
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN3
Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik preview
Second seed Andrey Rublev will square off against Alexander Bublik in the semifinals of the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday.
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Rublev rallied from a set down to defeat Zhang Zhizhen 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4 in his opener. He played much better in the next round to beat Arthur Cazaux 6-4, 6-4 and set up a quarterfinal showdown against Sebastian Korda.
Rublev dealt the first blow in the opening set as he went up a break to lead 3-2. He maintained his good headstart until the end of the set to claim it. He led by a break in the second set as well but Korda was able to get back on serve this time.
Rublev snagged another break of serve to go 4-3 up. Korda called for a medical timeout at this point and decided against playing further due to an injury. The Russian thus reached his fourth consecutive semifinal at the venue due to his opponent's retirement with the score reading 6-4, 4-3.
Bublik, meanwhile, sneaked past Tomas Machac in three sets in the opening round. He then scored a 7-6 (8), 7-6 (2) win over Tallon Griekspoor to make the last eight here, where Jiri Lehecka awaited him.
Bublik let go of a 2-0 lead in the first set but regrouped towards the end of the set as he clinched it after a three-game run. He was up 4-1 in the next set when an injury forced Lehecka to throw in the towel. The Kazakh advanced to the semifinals following his opponent's retirement.
Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik head-to-head
Rublev leads Bublik 4-1 in the head-to-head. The Russian won their previous encounter at the 2023 Wimbledon in five sets.
Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik prediction
Rublev and Bublik's path to the this round has been quite similar. Both staged a comeback to win in the first round, then won in straight sets in the second round. The two won their quarterfinal bouts after their opponents retired halfway through the second set.
Rublev has the edge in this rivalry but Bublik has started to figure him out. After losing their first three encounters, the Kazakh won their fourth one. Their most recent contest was a close affair that went to five sets at Wimbledon.
Bublik is the better server between the two. He hit a whopping 22 aces during his second round win over Griekspoor. Rublev is the slightly better player from the baseline, though both are prone to making quite a few errors.
However, Rublev has enjoyed a lot of success in Dubai over the last few years. He was the runner-up here last year and won the title the year before that. Given his record and consistency, he'll be favored to win over Bublik.
Pick: Andrey Rublev to win in three sets.
