Hamburg Open 2020: Cristian Garin vs Alexander Bublik preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Cristian Garin vs Alexander Bublik
Date: 25 September 2020
Tournament: Hamburg European Open 2020
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Hamburg, Germany
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €1,062,520
Match timing: Not before 6.30 pm CEST, 10 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six | Chile - ESPN
Cristian Garin vs Alexander Bublik preview
Chile’s Cristian Garin continued his fine run at the 2020 Hamburg Open by beating Yannick Hanfmann in straight sets on Wednesday. He will now take on Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The highly-rated Chilean faced very little resistance in his first two matches, dismissing Kei Nishikori and home favorite Yannick Hanfmann with little trouble. Garin is known to be an excellent player on clay, having already won an ATP 500 tournament on the surface this year.
World No. 56 Bublik, on the other hand, has had something of a nightmare run of form since the tour's resumption. The Kazakh failed to go past the opening round at the Cincinnati Masters, US Open, Generali Open in Kitzbuhel as well as the Italian Open in Rome.
Hence, not much was expected of him coming into the Hamburg Open. However, Bublik has surprised everyone by winning three matches in Germany so far.
The 23-year-old won his opening qualifier before losing the next one. Making his way into the main draw as a lucky loser, Bublik proceeded to knock out Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round.
In his next clash, the Russian registered a shocking upset by taking down rising sensation Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets.
Cristian Garin vs Alexander Bublik head-to-head
The head-to-head between Cristian Garin and Alexander Bublik currently stands at 0-0, as the two have never faced each other on tour before.
Cristian Garin vs Alexander Bublik prediction
Alexander Bublik is blessed with a big serve and equally powerful groundstrokes. The Kazakh can hit the ball very deep on clay, and Garin will have to be at his best defensively to gain the upper hand in the shorter rallies.
Garin is not bad with his first serve himself, having earned a considerable amount of success through it so far. That said, his second serve will need to be consistent or Bublik could take advantage of it.
Both players have exceptional backhands, and we can expect a lot of crosscourt exchanges in the rallies. Garin, however, is more consistent with his groundstrokes, which could frustrate Bublik.
The Chilean is the more well-rounded player of the two and tends to make fewer unforced errors than Bublik. And that, more than anything else, makes him the favorite to reach the semifinals at Hamburg.
Prediction: Cristian Garin to win in three sets.