Swedish Open 2023: Andrey Rublev vs Pavel Kotov preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (2) Andrey Rublev vs (Q) Pavel Kotov

Date: July 20, 2023

Tournament: Swedish Open 2023

Round: Second Round (Round of 16)

Venue: Bastad, Sweden

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Clay

Prize money: €562,815

Live telecast: USA: Tennis Channel | Australia: beIN Sport | Canada: TSN

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Andrey Rublev vs Pavel Kotov preview

Rublev opens his account on Thursday.

Second seed Andrey Rublev opens his campaign at the ATP 250 Swedish Open in Bastad against Russian qualifier Pavel Kotov on Thursday.

World No. 7 Rublev is 35-14 on the season and is coming off a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon, where he took a set off eventual runner-up Novak Djokovic. The 25-year-old is in good form, winning eight of his last 10 matches, including reaching the Halle final three weeks ago.

Rublev has also done well on clay, winning his first Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo. He also reached the final at the inaugural Banja Luka Open in Sprksa and made the fourth round at Madrid and Rome.

The Russian has a 2-1 record in Bastad, with both wins coming during his semifinal run on his tournament debut last year.

Meanwhile, the 89th-ranked Kotov is 8-7 on the season. He opened his Swedish Open campaign with a win over former Roland Garros semifinalist Marco Cecchinato.

Playing his 15th match of 2023, the 24-year-old Russian burst off the blocks on his Bastad debut, conceding only one game in the opener. It was more of the same story in the second set as Kotov dropped only two games to book his place in the second round.

The Russian is coming off a run to the Braunschweig Challenger final last week. He has had some good results on the ATP Tour in 2023, reaching the Marrakech semifinals and Mallorca last eight.

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Andrey Rublev vs Pavel Kotov head-to-head

The two Russians haven't locked horns before, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

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Andrey Rublev vs Pavel Kotov odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Andrey Rublev	-650	-1.5 (-210)	Over 20.5 (-120)
Pavel Kotov	+400	+1.5 (+145)	Under 20.5 (-120)

All odds are sourced from BETMGM.

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Andrey Rublev vs Pavel Kotov prediction

Kotov is making his Bastad debut.

Both players are quintessentially baseliners and have similar game styles: big serve, powerful hitting off either flank, and good movement.

Rublev, though, takes the edge with his superior experience, consistency, and pedigree, especially on clay. He has gone 19-8 on the surface, while Kotov is 3-1, with one of those wins coming this week.

Considering Rublev's impressive form on clay this season, expect him to take the win in his Swedish Open opener.

Pick: Rublev in straight sets