Monte Carlo Masters 2021: Andrey Rublev vs Roberto Bautista Agut preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (6) Andrey Rublev vs (9) Roberto Bautista Agut

Date: 15 April 2021

Tournament: Rolex Monte Carlo Masters 2021

Round: Third round (Round of 16)

Venue: Monte Carlo, Monaco

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Surface: Clay

Prize money: €2,082,960

Match timing: Approx. 5 pm local time, 8.30 pm IST

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

Andrey Rublev vs Roberto Bautista Agut preview

Andrey Rublev has been one of the form players since the tour restart. The Russian enjoyed the best year of his career in 2020 and then registered a solid start to 2021 too, winning the ATP Cup title with his country.

Rublev went on to reach the Australian Open quarterfinal, where he was defeated by compatriot and eventual finalist Daniil Medvedev. But the 23-year-old bounced back immediately, winning the Rotterdam event for his fourth consecutive ATP 500 title.

Prior to the clay season, Rublev reached consecutive semifinals in Doha, Dubai and Miami. And this week in Monte Carlo, the Russian has defeated Salvatore Caruso in the second round to set up the encounter against Roberto Bautista Agut.

Roberto Bautista Agut

Unlike his opponent, Bautista Agut's 2021 campaign has been a bit of a mixed bag. The Spaniard lost three out of his four matches combined at the ATP Cup and Australian Open.

Bautista Agut then registered back-to-back runner-up finishes in Montepellier and Doha, before reaching the semifinals at Miami - where he was defeated by Jannik Sinner in three sets.

The Spaniard has reached the third round in Monte Carlo on the back of straight-sets victories over a couple of Americans - Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

Andrey Rublev vs Roberto Bautista Agut head-to-head

The third-round encounter in Monte Carlo is the sixth match between the two players, and Roberto Bautista Agut currently leads the head-to-head 3-2 over Andrey Rublev.

The Spaniard won their most recent meeting - the Doha semifinal last month. But Rublev triumphed in their only match on clay, in the 2020 Hamburg European Open quarterfinals.

The Russian also prevailed in a tense three-set duel at the 2019 Davis Cup finals, but Bautista Agut won both of their first two meetings - Valencia 2015 and Shanghai 2018.

Andrey Rublev vs Roberto Bautista Agut prediction

A match between Andrey Rublev and Roberto Bautista Agut always promises to be a high-octane affair. And the solid form of both players right now makes their third-round encounter an even harder one to predict.

Rublev's exploits on clay last year, where he won the title in Hamburg and reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, showed that he knows how to play on the surafce. The Russian's aggressive baseline game and raw power make him a real threat, with his forehand capable of blasting winners on command.

Andrey Rublev

On the other hand, Bautista Agut's favorite surface by far is hardcourt. However, the Spaniard does have more than a few weapons to succeed on clay too.

As seen in Doha, Bautista Agut's accurate forehand can go toe-to-toe with Rublev's; the 32-year-old can more than hold his own in the longer exchanges from the baseline.

But Rublev has shown a new level of consistency this year. If the Russian is able to keep his error count low and be as aggressive as possible, he would have the edge on Thursday.

Prediction: Andre Rublev to win in three sets.