Match Details
Fixture: (3) Andrey Rublev vs Diego Schwartzman.
Tournament: Erste Bank Open 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 32).
Venue: Vienna, Austria.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: €2,349,180.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime.
Andrey Rublev vs Diego Schwartzman preview
Third seed Andrey Rublev will square off against Diego Schwartzman in the first round of the 2022 Erste Bank Open.
Rublev has put together another consistent season. After a third-round exit from the Australian Open, he made it to the semifinals in Rotterdam. He then won consecutive titles in Marseille and Dubai. His winning streak came to an end in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters.
Following early exits from Miami and Monte Carlo, Rublev won his third title of the year at the Serbia Open. He concluded his clay swing with a quarterfinal showing at the French Open. The Halle Open was his only tournament on grass and he lost in the first round there. The Russian then reached the semifinals at Gstaad and Washington.
Rublev didn't perform too well in the Masters tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati, but still managed to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open. Following his loss in New York, he reached the semifinals of the Astana Open, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Rublev recently competed at the Gijon Open. He defeated Ilya Ivashka, Tommy Paul, Dominic Thiem and Sebastian Korda to win the title, his fourth of the season.
Schwartzman is having a decent season, but has been going through a rough patch of late. Following an early exit from the Australian Open, he reached a couple of finals in South America, losing to Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz.
After another couple of disappointing results in Indian Wells and Miami, the Argentine had a good clay swing, which ended with a fourth-round loss to Novak Djokovic at the French Open. His grass swing was dismal, with just one win across three tournaments.
In the lead-up to the US Open, Schwartzman reached the second round in Montreal and the third round in Cincinnati. He lost to Frances Tiafoe in the third round of the season's final Grand Slam. Since then, he hasn't won a match. He lost his Davis Cup and Laver Cup ties, then made back-to-back first-round exits from Tel Aviv and Antwerp.
Andrey Rublev vs Diego Schwartzman head-to-head
Rublev leads Schwartzman 2-1 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2021 San Diego Open in straight sets.
Andrey Rublev vs Diego Schwartzman odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Andrey Rublev vs Diego Schwartzman prediction
Rublev is fresh off a title-winning run in Gijon, while Schwartzman is on a five-match losing streak. The Russian will be heavily favored to win this encounter based on recent form.
Schwartzman is a former finalist in Vienna, reaching the title round here back in 2019 and the quarterfinals last year. He's a solid player from the baseline, but has been lacking a bit in that department recently. His return of serve, which used to give him an edge in matches, has also been poor of late.
Rublev, on the other hand, has been competing quite well and is likely to withstand any challenge thrown at him by Schwartzman. Expect the Russian to make a winning start to his campaign in Vienna.
Pick: Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets.
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