Wimbledon 2021: Andrey Rublev vs Lloyd Harris preview, head-to-head & prediction

Fixture: (5) Andrey Rublev vs Lloyd Harris

Date: 30 June 2021

Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: London, Great Britain

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Grass

Prize money: £17,066,000

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

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Andrey Rublev vs Lloyd Harris preview

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev had a difficult start to his Wimbledon 2021 campaign. The Russian dropped the first set of his opening-round encounter against unseeded Argentine Federico Delbonis before bouncing back to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.

Rublev is currently ranked a career-high No. 7 after posting solid results all year. The Russian won the title in Rotterdam, reached his maiden ATP 1000 final in Monte Carlo and also finished runner-up in Halle.

First round ✔️South African tennis star @LloydHarris63 advances to the second round at @Wimbledon after beating Lithuanian Ričardas Berankis 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(6) in a match carried over from Monday.The 24-year-old will next face Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/uVI7rTL0S5

— Tennis South Africa (@TennisSA) June 29, 2021

Lloyd Harris, meanwhile, had a stop-and-start first-round clash against Ricardas Berankis. The match was suspended twice due to poor weather, but the South African did not let the breaks disrupt his momentum and ended up sealing a straight-sets win.

Harris fired 24 aces and won 78% of his first-serve points en route to a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(8) win. The 24-year-old also had a decent run at Halle in the lead-up to Wimbledon, defeating Gael Monfils en route to the quarterfinals.

Harris qualified for the main draw at Wimbledon once before and was knocked out in the first round. Hence, he has already achieved his best result at SW19.

Andrey Rublev vs Lloyd Harris head-to-head

Rublev and Harris have met just once on tour before in the final of the Adelaide International last year. Rublev won that match 6-3, 6-0.

Andrey Rublev vs Lloyd Harris prediction

Andrey Rublev beat Lloyd Harris to win the title at Adelaide last year

Andrey Rublev has gone from strength to strength in the last couple of years. The 23-year-old has a powerful forehand that can trouble any player on tour. He has also developed a strong serve, which was on show in his first-round clash against Delbonis.

Harris, on his part, has an excellent serve as well. He also has a great temperament and can hold his own against the bigger names.

This match could ultimately be decided by fine margins. Considering Rublev's form in recent months, we expect him to eke out a win.

Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in four sets.