Davis Cup 2022 qualifiers: Casper Ruud vs Alexander Bublik preview, head-to-head and prediction

Match Details

Fixture: (NOR) Casper Ruud vs (KAZ) Alexander Bublik

Tournament: Davis Cup

Date: 5 March 2022

Round: Qualifying Round

Venue: Oslo

Category: ITF Tournament

Surface: Hard

Live Telecast: Norway - Verdans Gang, Kazakhstan - QAZ Sports TV

Casper Ruud vs Alexander Bublik preview

Casper Ruud has been in pretty good form lately

Norway's Casper Ruud will take on Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in the Davis Cup qualifiers.

The 23-year-old Norwegian started his 2022 season by winning two of his three matches at the ATP Cup. Unfortunately, Norway fared miserably as a team and ended at the bottom of their group behind Spain, Serbia and Chile. Ruud was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open due to an ankle injury.

He returned to action at the Argentina Open and reached the final following victories over Roberto Carballes Baena, Federico Coria and Federico Delbonis. Ruud defeated Diego Schwartzman in the final to seal his seventh ATP singles title.

Bublik, meanwhile, kicked off his season at the Adelaide International 2 where he was the sixth seed. However, he suffered an opening-round exit at the hands of Aleksandar Vukic.

The 24-year-old then competed at the Australian Open and reached the second round of the tournament after beating Ernesto Escobedo in four sets. He lost to eventual quarterfinalist Gael Monfils in straight sets.

Bublik then competed at the Open Sud de France as the sixth seed. The Kazakh beat Tallon Griekspoor in the first round before prevailing over Pierre-Hugues Herbert in three sets. He then shocked second seed Roberto Bautista Agut to seal his place in the semifinals.

Bublik beat fifth seed Filip Krajinovic comprehensively to set up a clash against Alexander Zverev in the final. The 24-year-old stunned the German 6-4, 6-3 to win the first singles title of his career.

Bublik then lost in the first round of the Rotterdam Open to former World No. 1 Andy Murray. He followed this up with a second-round exit at the Qatar Open. The Kazakh then competed at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the opening round.

Casper Ruud vs Alexander Bublik head-to-head

The two will meet for the fourth time when they lock horns in the Davis Cup qualifiers. Ruud has won each of their previous three meetings, the first of which came at the St. Petersburg Open in 2019. The Norwegian came back from a set down to beat Bublik.

Bublik and Ruud faced each other twice last year, with Ruud beating the Kazakh 7-5, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters and 6-4, 6-0 at the Paris Masters.

Casper Ruud vs Alexander Bublik prediction

Ruud will enter the match as the clear favorite.

The Norwegian has improved his game immensely over the past couple of years and has adapted to surfaces other than clay. He has a pretty decent record on hardcourt, having won 29 out of 40 matches on the surface since the start of 2021.

Ruud will rely heavily on his powerful groundstrokes, especially his forehand, to dictate points against Bublik.

The Norwegian also has a pretty good return which will no doubt be put to the test against Bublik, who is among the best servers on tour. The Kazakh served the highest number of aces last season and has averaged 14 aces per match so far this year.

Bublik can be a pretty tough competitor, but Ruud should be able to beat the 24-year-old and help Norway advance to the Davis Cup Finals.

Prediction: Ruud to win in straight sets.