Italian Open 2022: Andrey Rublev vs Filip Krajinovic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (6) Andrey Rublev vs Filip Krajinovic.
Tournament: Italian Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 32).
Venue: Rome, Italy.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Clay.
Prize money: €5,415,410.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot & Sports 18.
Andrey Rublev vs Filip Krajinovic preview
After a first-round bye, sixth seed Rublev will lock horns with World No. 54 Filip Krajinovic in the second round of the 2022 Italian Open.
Rublev's clay season began at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he lost to Jannik Sinner in three sets in the third round. He then won his 11th career title at the Serbia Open with a 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-0 win over Novak Djokovic in the final.
At the Madrid Open last week, the Russian lost to World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets in the quarterfinals. It was his third consecutive loss to the Greek on clay.
Rublev doing Rublev things 🤘
A stunning return from @AndreyRublev97 on his way to reaching the #MMOPEN last 8! https://t.co/cnmA0grYIm
Filip Krajinovic, meanwhile, has struggled quite a bit during the clay season so far. He started off with a first-round loss to Dusan Lajovic at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He then defeated David Goffin in straight sets at the Serbia Open, before losing to Thiago Monteiro in the second round.
@filipkrajinovic beats Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7) 7-6 (4) to advance in Rome
!😮@filipkrajinovic beats Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7) 7-6 (4) to advance in Rome🇮🇹!
@InteBNLdItalia | #IBI22 https://t.co/qKMKhQzui4
At the Madrid Open, he was ousted by John Isner in two tight sets in the first round.
The Serb started his Italian Open campaign on Sunday with a 7-6(7), 7-6(4) win over World No. 26 Frances Tiafoe. He was down 2-4 in the second set but fought back to level the score before securing the win in the tie-break.
Andrey Rublev vs Filip Krajinovic head-to-head
The two have faced off four times so far, with the head-to-head being deadlocked at 2-2. Rublev won their previous encounter at the 2020 Dubai Open in straight sets.
Andrey Rublev vs Filip Krajinovic odds
All odds are courtesy of BetMGM
Andrey Rublev vs Filip Krajinovic prediction
Considering their recent form, Rublev will be the overwhelming favorite heading into this contest. The Russian has played some consistent tennis over the last few weeks, but the same cannot be said of Krajinovic.
Rublev will look to dictate the proceedings with his forehand, though he'll need to be steady throughout the match. When things don't go his way, the error count starts to pile up. So keeping a calm demeanor will be of utmost improtance. He reached the quarterfinals in Rome last year, so the conditions here don't bother him too much.
Krajinovic isn't too comfortable playing on clay, with just 39 wins on the surface throughout his career. Another worrying stat would be his record against top-10 players, having won just three of his 26 matches against them.
The Serb has always been on the backfoot in his matches against higher-ranked players, and it's hard to see him improving against Rublev. However, he has put up a fight in his previous matches against the World No. 7.
Against the Russian, Krajinovic could attempt to make some in-roads into his serve, which at times tends to be shaky under pressure. Krajinovic's own serving stats were pretty decent during his first-round victory, winning 68% and 60% of his first and second-serve points respectively. He'll need to either repeat or better those numbers in his next match as well to have a chance at winning.
However, Rublev's proactive approach and aggressive shotmaking will prove to be too much for his opponent to handle in the end.
Pick: Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets.