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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs (4) Andrey Rublev.
Date: 17 December 2022.
Tournament: Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Category: Exhibition Tournament.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $250,000.
Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 3 pm GMT, 10 am ET and 8:30 pm IST.
Live telecast: USA, UK - Tennis Channel | Australia - Stan Sport | Spain - Movistar/Telefonica.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Andrey Rublev preview
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will take on defending champion Andrey Rublev in the semifinals of the 2022 Mubadala World Tennis Championship on Saturday.
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Alcaraz took the tennis world by storm with his results this year. After an early exit from the Australian Open, he clinched his first title of the season in Rio. Rafael Nadal sneaked past him in a thrilling semifinal encounter at Indian Wells, but the teenager later nabbed his first Masters 1000 title in Miami.
The 19-year-old lost in the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters but bounced back by claiming consecutive titles in Barcelona and Madrid. At the French Open, he made it to the last eight, followed by a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon. The Spaniard then recorded a couple of runner-up finishes in Hamburg and Umag.
Alcaraz then captured his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open and ascended to the top of the rankings. His season concluded on a disappointing note, as an injury sustained during the Paris Masters forced him to miss the ATP Finals. He's now making his debut in Abu Dhabi and as the top seed, received a bye into the semifinals.
Rublev kicked off his title defense against Borna Coric. Both players remained solid on serve throughout the first set, leading to a tie-break. The Russian gained the upper hand in it to clinch the opener.
The second set appeared to be headed in the same direction until Rublev managed to break Coric's serve in the ninth game of the set. He then wrapped up the proceedings with ease in the following game to win the match 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Andrey Rublev head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Andrey Rublev odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Andrey Rublev prediction
Alcaraz will be playing his first match since his injury last month and might find it tough to recover if he's off to a slow start. Rublev was quite efficient in his match against Coric, with some strong serving complimented by his usual punishing groundstrokes.
The Spaniard does have a backup plan to fall back upon when things aren't going his way and isn't afraid to mix things up either. Rublev, on the other hand, just starts hitting harder when he's unable to figure out a clear path to victory.
Alcaraz has shown all year long some impressive tenacity for his age, staging memorable comebacks to emerge victorious. This is a good way for him to test the waters following his return from an injury hiatus and against a challenging opponent as well. If fully fit, the teenager should advance to the final, otherwise, it's Rublev who'll have the last laugh.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in straight sets.
