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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Andrey Rublev vs Dominic Thiem.
Date: October 15, 2022.
Tournament: Gijon Open 2022.
Round: Semi-finals.
Venue: Gijon, Spain.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Match timing: Not before 2.00 pm local time, 7.00 am EST, 12 noon GMT, 5.30 pm IST.
Prize money: $612,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Andrey Rublev vs Dominic Thiem preview
Top seed Andrey Rublev will square off against former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the semifinals of the Gijon Open on Saturday.
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Rublev has been on a roll this year with three titles to show for. The Russian arrived in the Spanish city of Gijon high on confidence, having reached the quarterfinals of the US Open and the semifinals at the Astana Open.
As the top seed at this tournament, the World No. 9 made it to his 49th tour-level quarterfinal with a three-set win over Ilya Ivashka on Thursday. He didn't make many mistakes against fifth seed Tommy Paul during their last-eight clash and raced through the match to notch up a 7-5, 6-3 win.
Thiem's comeback from a wrist injury, meanwhile, continues as he reached his second semifinal of the year at the Gijon Open on Friday. The Austrian played some sublime tennis to knock out the fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 6-3.
The former World No. 3 has lost only one set so far in three matches at Gijon - against Marcos Giron in the second round.
Thiem's only other tour-level semifinal of the season came on the claycourts of Gstaad in July. He reached the last eight in Bastad and Kitzbuhel as well.
The 29-year-old also had a stellar campaign at the Rennes Challenger, where he finished as the runner-up to Ugo Humbert. Although he stumbled early in Metz and Tel Aviv after that, Thiem seems to have rediscovered his touch in Gijon this week.
Andrey Rublev vs Dominic Thiem head-to-head
Rublev leads 3-2 in the head-to-head against Thiem. The Austrian took their first couple of meetings but since then Rublev has dominated this rivalry, winning in Hamburg in 2019, and Vienna and the ATP Finals in 2020.
Andrey Rublev vs Dominic Thiem odds
(Odds sourced from oddschecker)
Andrey Rublev vs Dominic Thiem prediction
This contest has all the makings of a classic if both can bring out their best. Thiem slowly and surely seems to be getting back to form. The Austrian's movement was on point while his backhand was on fire against Cerundolo during their quarterfinal clash.
However, the Rublev test might just have come a bit too early in Thiem's comeback. The Russian has been in a rich vein of form of late, having reached at least the quarterfinals in his last three tournaments.
Rublev's serve and forehand will pose quite the challenge for the Austrian. The top seed has served 10 aces in his first match at Gijon and four in his second. He won 84% of his first-serve points against Paul while producing 17 winners to nine unforced errors.
Rublev's only area of concern is his break point conversion of 33% (3/9 won). If he can bring his aggression to the fore and take his chances well right from the start, the Russian has a good chance of securing his fourth consecutive win over Thiem.
Pick: Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets.
