Qatar Open 2025: Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (5) Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik

Date: February 17, 2025

Tournament: Qatar Open 2025

Round: First round (Round of 32)

Venue: Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar

Category: Masters 1000

Surface: Hard (Outdoor)

Prize Money: $2,760,000

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports

Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik preview

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev of Russia will take on Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in the first round of the Qatar Open on Monday, February 17. Whoever wins, will take on either

Rublev has had an ordinary 2025 so far, suffering a shock first-round exit at the Australian Open, which followed an opening-match exit at the Hong Kong Open. The Russian then reached the semifinals and quarterfinals of the Open Occitanie and the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, respectively.

Bublik has had a very poor start to 2025, having won just two out of seven matches so far. The Kazakh's most notable performance was reaching the quarterfinals of the Open Occitanie in Montpellier.

He most recently competed at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille and booked his place in the second round after beating Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-4. However, Bublik then lost 6-7(7), 4-6 to second seed Ugo Humbert.

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Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik head-to-head

Rublev leads 4-2 in the head-to-head between the two. Their last meeting came in the semifinals of last year's Dubai Tennis Championships, which was a thrilling match but ended with the Russian getting defaulted after an outburst. Bublik was leading 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-5 at the time.

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Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap bets	Total games
Andrey Rublev	-500	-1.5 (-170)	Over 21.5 (-120)
Alexander Bublik	+333	+1.5 (+118)	Under 21.5 (-120)

All odds sourced from BETMGM.

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Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik prediction

The match between Rublev and Bublik promises to be an exciting one. Rublev has a fearsome forehand and can dictate terms with it quite often. Bublik has a powerful serve, good hands at net and a solid game overall, but has a tendency to play to the gallery at times.

He cannot afford to do that against a top opponent like Rublev, who can be pretty ruthless with his groundstrokes. Bublik will need to be solid from the baseline throughout the match to make Rublev really toil for a victory.

However, the Kazakh is probably the better player of the two in terms of exhibiting subtle touch, which includes playing volleys and drop shots. Still, the key for him will be to remain consistent with those shots. If he can do that, he can give his Russian opponent a run for his money.

Rublev, however, should have enough quality in the end to emerge victorious in the match.

Pick: Rublev in three sets.