Eastbourne 2022: Alexander Bublik vs John Millman preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Rothesay International
Match Details
Fixture: Alexander Bublik vs (Q) John Millman.
Date: 22 June 2022.
Tournament: Rothesay International Eastbourne 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Eastbourne, United Kingdom.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: €697,405.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Alexander Bublik vs John Millman preview
World No. 39 Alexander Bublik will square off against qualifier John Millman in the second round of the 2022 Rothesay International Eastbourne on Wednesday.
Bublik arrived in Eastbourne on the heels of consecutive second-round losses to Grand Slam champions Andy Murray and Marin Cilic at Stuttgart and Queen's Club respectively. He took on Frances Tiafoe in the first round. Bublik led 5-2 in the opening set, but the American reeled off the next five games in a row to take the set.
Both players held serve in the second set, which then went to a tie-break. This time, it was Tiafoe who squandered a huge lead. He was 4-2 up, but the Kazakh won five consecutive points to clinch the set. The deciding set was a one-sided affair, as Bublik dished out a bagel to complete a 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-0 comeback win.
A winning start 👏
Bublik gets a narrow win in a bizarre match against Tiafoe 5-7 7-6 6-0!
#RothesayInternational https://t.co/cJeh7nVvQz
John Millman kicked off his grass season by competing in a couple of Challenger events, where his best result was a second-round showing. He defeated Henri Laaksonen and Liam Broady in the qualifying rounds at Eastbourne to make it to the main draw.
Millman was up against Sebastian Korda in the first round. Both players went neck-to-neck until 3-3 in the opening set, following which the Australian broke his opponent's serve twice to bag the set.
Millian trailed by a break in the second set, but managed to break Korda's serve as the latter served for the set at 5-4. In the ensuing tie-break, the 33-year-old came out on top to win the match 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Alexander Bublik vs John Millman head-to-head
Bublik and Millman have never played against each other before this, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Alexander Bublik vs John Millman odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Alexander Bublik vs John Millman prediction
Neither player has been particularly impressive during the grass season so far. This is a good opportunity for one of them to make a deep run with Wimbledon just around the corner.
While Bublik hit 17 aces during his first-round contest against Tiafoe, he also threw in 11 double faults. His serve is still quite the weapon, but he'll need to avoid dishing out freebies like that. Nevertheless, he showed great composure to stage a comeback against the American.
Millman also held his nerve in his match against Korda, and stayed focused to ensure the match wasn't taken to a third set. The Australian is quick around the court and much more patient than Bublik.
Millman will look to extend the rallies to extract an error from his opponent. However, the 33-year-old hasn't won too many matches this year. The only time he won consecutive matches was back in February at the Delray Beach Open.
Bublik himself has had an inconsistent year, but has displayed a much better level than his opponent at times. His groundstrokes are quite effective on grass and his unpredictability often makes him a tough opponent to compete against.
If Bublik remains focused throughout the contest, it should be an easy win for him. Otherwise, Millman could score yet another upset here.
Pick: Alexander Bublik to win in straight sets.