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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (5) Andrey Rublev
Date: October 8, 2022
Tournament: Astana Open 2022
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Astana, Kazakhstan
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: $1,900,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev preview
World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas will square off against World No. 9 Andrey Rublev in the semifinals of the Astana Open.
Tsitsipas scored an arduous victory against Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals in Astana. The Greek faced five set points against him in the opening set but was able to keep his cool to claim the first set 7-6 (8).
Although he kept himself from losing a set in the Kazakh capital, he was made to fight and secured a sole break in the final moments of the match after the Pole refused him eight other breakpoints. The 2021 French Open finalist settled the score 7-6 (8), 6-3 to proceed to his ninth semifinal of the season.
The 24-year-old previously downed Luca Nardi 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) in the round of 16 and home favorite Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-4 in the round of 32.
Tsitsipas now has a 52-18 win-loss record in the 2022 season. He claimed two titles this year – the Monte Carlo Masters and the Mallorca Open, and finished as the runner-up at the Cincinnati Masters, the Italian Open and the Rotterdam Open.
Andrey Rublev, meanwhile, has notched up 43 wins against 15 losses in 2022. The Russian has won three titles - in Marseille, Dubai and Belgrade. He progressed to four other semifinals at the Citi Open, the Swedish Open, the Indian Wells Masters and the Rotterdam Open.
He sailed through his three previous encounters at the Astana Open. In the opening round, Rublev outclassed Laslo Djere 6-4, 6-3 and in the second round, he earned a win against Zhizhen Zhang 6-3, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, he dismissed Adrian Mannarino with an impressive 6-1, 6-2 victory to progress into his eighth semifinal of 2022.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev head-to-head
Tsitsipas and Rublev have previously met on the ATP tour a total of nine times. Their head-to-head record stands at 5-4 in favor of the Greek. The duo’s most recent encounter was in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Madrid Open, where Tsitsipas triumphed in three sets 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev odds
(All odds sourced from bet365)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev prediction
This is expected to be a close contest between the exceptionally skilled 24-year-olds. The two are well acquainted with each other’s playing styles. Rublev is an offensive baseliner who hits power-packed shots off of both wings. Tsitsipas, meanwhile, is also an aggressive baseliner but tends to approach the net to rush his opponents.
The Russian, however, will have the upper hand in terms of experience in ATP 500 tournaments, having won five of his 11 titles at this level. The Greek, meanwhile, hasn’t had luck at this level, losing all eight ATP 500 finals he has competed in.
Although the match-up has no clear favorites, Rublev’s more consistent form at the Astana Open will likely see him level his head-to-head against the Greek rival.
Pick: Rublev to win in three sets.
