US Open 2021: Andrey Rublev vs Ivo Karlovic preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (5) Andrey Rublev vs Ivo Karlovic

Date: 30 August 2021

Tournament: US Open 2021

Round: First round (Round of 128)

Venue: New York, United States

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $40,560,000

Match timing: Approx. 1 pm local time, 5 pm GMT, 10.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Andrey Rublev vs Ivo Karlovic preview

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev will take on big-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic in a tricky first-round encounter at the 2021 US Open on Monday.

Rublev, a finalist in Cincinnati, has compiled an impressive 20-7 record on hardcourts in 2021. He captured his only title of the season in Rotterdam and finished runner-up three times, including at the Western & Southern Open.

Andrey Rublev finished runner-up at the Cincinnati Masters

The 23-year-old Russian has reached the quarterfinals twice in five previous visits to Flushing Meadows, and is expected to do so once again.

Karlovic, meanwhile, has seen his ranking plummet considerably in the past 18 months. He has been limited to a handful of tour-level appearances. The towering Croat navigated his way into the main draw of this year's US Open after defeating Nikola Molojevic, Hugo Dellien and Yuichi Sugita in qualifying.

Earlier this year, Karlovic became the oldest player to win an ATP Tour match in 25 years, when defeated Pablo Andujar at the Delray Beach Open. It was a rare highlight in a torrid year for the former World No. 14.

42 years old Ivo Karlovic qualifies for the #USOpen main draw.It's the last tournament of his great career.Great story!

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 28, 2021

Andrey Rublev vs Ivo Karlovic head-to-head

Andrey Rublev and Ivo Karlovic have not played each other, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.

Andrey Rublev vs Ivo Karlovic prediction

Andrey Rublev may be far from the finished article, but he is one of the contenders to lift the US Open title in a fortnight's time.

Ivo Karlovic, on the other hand, is in the twilight of his career. At 42, the big-serving Croat is finding it increasingly difficult to stay competitive in the top-tier of men's tennis.

Ivo Karlovic could be playing in his last professional tennis match

Historically, Rublev has struggled against big servers. Many of the Russian's defeats this season have come against players who have painted the lines with their powerful first serves. John Isner (twice), Jan-Lennard Struff and Alexander Zverev have tasted success this season against the Russian.

Karlovic, in that sense, should pose a huge challenge to Rublev on paper. However, while the Croat's serve is still a huge threat, the other aspects of his game have declined drastically.

Rublev will undoubtedly get a few chances on Karlovic's serve and as long as he can take them, he will be able to come through this match.

Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in four sets