Match Details
Fixture: (5) Andrey Rublev vs (8) Taylor Fritz
Tournament: Monte-Carlo 2023
Date: Saturday, April 15
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Monte Carlo Country Club, France
Category: Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €5,779,335
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, TC Plus | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Andrey Rublev vs Taylor Fritz preview
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev takes on eighth seed Taylor Fritz in the Monte-Carlo semifinals on Saturday.
The sixth-ranked Rublev improved to 16-8 on the season and 9-5 in the Principality with a masterful win against German Jan-Lennard Struff in the last eight. After taking the opener for the loss in just one game, the Russian stayed resolute in the second set, which went to a tiebreak. He reached his second Monte-Carlo semifinal in three years.
Rublev has had a rather quiet year by his staggering standards. After opening the season with successive losses, the 25-year-old reached the Australian Open quarterfinals. He also reached the last eight in Doha before reaching the Dubai final. Rublev made the Round of 16 at both Indian Wells and Miami before arriving in the Principality.
Meanwhile, World No. 10 Fritz is enjoying a dream season, especially on clay, dumping out two-time defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets for his first top-ten win on the surface. In the process, the 25-year-old improved to 23-6 on the season and 8-3 in the Principality to reach his first Monte-Carlo semifinal.
Fritz has had a solid season, reaching the quarterfinals at Indian Wells and Miami, semifinals at Dallas and Acapulco, and winning the title at Delray Beach. He's now within two wins of a maiden claycourt title.
Andrey Rublev vs Taylor Fritz head-to-head
Rublev has lost four out of his six clashes against Fritz, including the last three. The pair - who last met in Cincinnati's third round last year - are yet to clash on clay.
Andrey Rublev vs Taylor Fritz odds
(All odds as per BETMGM)
Andrey Rublev vs Taylor Fritz prediction
Both Rublev and Fritz like to dominate opponents from the back of the court. Both serve and hit big and move well.
Rublev and Fritz are coming off commanding quarterfinal wins, especially the latter. He hit 17 winners and won an impressive 70% (14/20) of his second-serve points against Tsitsipas.
Rublev, though, is the more accomplished player on clay - winning 51 of his 80 matches - while Fritz has gone 28 of 52. The American has had Rublev's number and will be buoyed by his victory over Tsitsipas. However, expect the more consistent Russian to outlast Fritz in a slugfest.
Pick: Rublev in three sets