China Open 2023: Andrey Rublev vs Ugo Humbert preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Andrey Rublev vs Ugo Humbert
Date: September 30, 2023
Tournament: China Open 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $3,633,875
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime | Canada - TSN
Andrey Rublev vs Ugo Humbert preview
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev will battle it out against Ugo Humbert in the second round of the 2023 China Open on Saturday.
Rublev took on World No. 16 Cameron Norrie in the first round. The former was unable to recover after going down a break and thus lost the opening set. The Russian got back on track as he bagged the second set in a dominant fashion by dishing out a breadstick.
Rublev had momentum on his side and used it well to gain a 3-1 lead in the third set. He then held a couple of match points on Norrie's serve at 5-3, but couldn't close it out. Nevertheless, the 25-year old served out the match himself in the following game to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Humbert faced Lorenzo Sonego in his opener. The two were evenly matched for most of the first set. However, the Frenchman edged out his opponent in the end as he swept the last three games of the set to take it.
Humbert dealt the first blow in the second set to go 2-0 up. Sonego then raised his level as he swept six of the next seven games to claim the set and level the proceedings. The Frenchman nipped his comeback in the bud as he didn't drop a single game in the third set to wrap up a 7-5, 3-6, 6-0 victory.
Andrey Rublev vs Ugo Humbert head-to-head
Rublev lead Humbert 2-1 in the head-to-head. The Russian won their previous encounter at the 2023 Indian Wells Masters in straight sets.
Andrey Rublev vs Ugo Humbert odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Andrey Rublev vs Ugo Humbert prediction
Both got taken to three sets in the last round, but rose to the occasion to get the better of their opponents. Rublev's serving stats were quite good, highlighted by him winning 87% of his first serve points. His focused ballstriking also produced 39 winners off of his racquet.
Humbert didn't quite match Rublev with respect to those stats, but his numbers were respectable too. He'll now look to avenge his loss to the Russian at the start of the season.
Humbert has beaten Rublev once before, that too in a final, to win the Halle Open a couple of years ago. The Frenchman has it in him to go toe-to-toe with his opponent from the back of the court. He also isn't afraid to charge forward to finish off points.
However, Rublev's better results throughout the year make him the favorite to win this match. He has twice as many wins as Humbert this year and given his form, he should be able to advance further.
Pick: Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets.