Italian Open 2021: Andrey Rublev vs Roberto Bautista Agut preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (7) Andrey Rublev vs Roberto Bautista Agut

Date: 13 May 2021

Tournament: Internazionali BNL d'italia 2021

Round: Third round (Round of 16)

Venue: Rome, Italy

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €2,082,960

Match timing: Approx. 6 pm local time, 4 pm GMT, 12 pm EST

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

Andrey Rublev vs Roberto Bautista Agut preview

Andrey Rublev opened his 2021 Italian Open campaign with a hard-fought win over Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff on Wednesday. Having dropped the first set in a tiebreaker, Rublev raised his level to close out a 6-7, 6-1, 6-4 win after 2 hours and 17 minutes of play.

The Russian has now booked a third-round match against Roberto Bautista Agut, an opponent that he has already played thrice this year.

Roberto Bautista Agut

Bautista Agut on his part has managed a solid start to his week in Rome. He has scored a couple of resounding wins over talented youngsters Cristian Garin and Tommy Paul, and will be keen to carry the momentum further.

The Spaniard hasn't had the best of results in Rome in the past, but his aggressive approach - especially on return - has yielded some positive results on clay lately.

Andrey Rublev vs Roberto Bautista Agut head-to-head

Andrey Rubkev will be keen on redicovering his top form ahead of the French Open.

Andrey Rublev and Roberto Baustisa Agut have split their last six meetings, so their current head-to-head stands at a 3-3 deadlock.

Rublev has, however, won two of their last three matches. Incidentally, both of those meetings took place on clay.

Andrey Rublev vs Roberto Bautista Agut prediction

Andrey Rublev made a strong start to his clay season by reaching the summit clash in Monte Carlo. But he has made early exits at his last two tournaments, and will be keen to rediscover his best form ahead of the French Open.

The Russian has struggled to close out tight matches in recent weeks, so the win over Struff should help bolster his confidence. One area of concern for Rublev has been his performance in tiebreakers; he has now lost his last six tiebreaker sets.

Needless to say, Rublev will need to put in an improved performance against a solid-looking opponent in Roberto Baustista Agut.

Rublev is the favorite on paper, but his big serve and power-packed groundstrokes may not be as effective in the slow conditions in Rome. He will have to be prepared to hang around in rallies and be slightly more patient with his shot-selection if he hopes to get the better of Bautista Agut.

Rublev is likely to face some stiff resistance from the Spaniard, whose strong counterpunching skills could come in handy on Thursday. That said, if the Russian can turn in a measured performance and not give too much away for free, he should be able to walk past his opponent in this one.

Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in three sets.