Cincinnati Open 2024: Andrey Rublev vs Zhang Zhizhen preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (6) Andrey Rublev vs Zhang Zhizhen
Date: August 15, 2024
Tournament: Cincinnati Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason, Ohio, US
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $6,795,555
Live Telecast: US - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Andrey Rublev vs Zhang Zhizhen preview
After a first-round bye, sixth seed Andrey Rublev will face Zhang Zhizhen in the second round of the Cincinnati Open 2024.
Rublev won the Hong Kong Open at the start of the season and reached at least the quarterfinals of his next four tournaments, including the Australian Open. However, after being defaulted from the Dubai Tennis Championships, he went through a rough patch.
The Russian suffered early exits and was on a four-match losing streak, which he snapped at the Madrid Open. He won the title in the Spanish capital, his second at the Masters level. He then bowed out in the third round of the Italian Open and the French Open and didn't win a match on grass.
Rublev resumed his hardcourt swing at the Citi Open in Washington, where he made the quarterfinals. He reached his second Masters final of the season at the Canadian Open with a win over World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals. He lost to Alexei Popyrin in straight sets in the summit clash.
Zhang was drawn against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the Cincinnati Open. The two were on even terms until about halfway through the first set. The Chinese then upped his level and bagged the last four games of the set to take it.
Zhang led by a break in the second set but Mpetshi Perricard managed to negate his lead. The set eventually went to a tie-break, in which the Chinese came out on top to register a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win.
Andrey Rublev vs Zhang Zhizhen head-to-head
Rublev leads Zhang 2-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at this year's Dubai Tennis Championships in three sets.
Andrey Rublev vs Zhang Zhizhen odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Andrey Rublev vs Zhang Zhizhen prediction
Zhang scripted history with his first-round win over Mpetshi Perricard, becoming the first man from China to win a main draw match in Cincinnati. Despite some pushback from his opponent, he never truly looked to be in any danger.
Rublev has enjoyed considerable success this year, though he also has been a little inconsistent with his performances. His summer hardcourt swing has started on a promising note, with a quarterfinal in Washington and a final in Montreal.
Zhang has a 3-9 career record against top-10 players and has gone 1-5 against them on hardcourts. He gave Rublev a tough fight when they crossed paths in Dubai earlier this year but went down in three sets.
The Russian seems to be in a good headspace at the moment, and that's reflected in his recent performances. This could be another close contest, though Rublev's recent resurgence tips the scales in his favor.
Pick: Andrey Rublev to win in three sets.