Metz 2022: Alexander Bublik vs Stan Wawrinka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Moselle Open
Match Details
Fixture: (7) Alexander Bublik vs (Q) Stan Wawrinka.
Date: September 24, 2022.
Tournament: Moselle Open 2022.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: Metz, France.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: €534,555.
Match timing: Not before 3:30 pm local time, 9:30 am EST, 1:30 pm GMT and 7 pm IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Australia - beIN Sports.
Alexander Bublik vs Stan Wawrinka preview
Seventh seed Alexander Bublik will take on three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals of the 2022 Moselle Open on Saturday.
Following a couple of three-set victories, Bublik reached the quarterfinals where he was up against fourth seed Holger Rune. He was in control of the opening set right from the start and bagged a break to lead 4-2. The Kazakh soon served out the set to clinch it.
The second set started with three straight breaks of serve, with Bublik coming out on top to lead 3-1. He further extended his lead to 5-3, but Rune reeled off the next four games to take the set and push the match to a decider. The 25-year old got the decisive break in the fifth game of the final set, which was enough for him to win the match 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.
Bublik has now advanced to his third semifinal of the season. He went on to make the final on the previous two occasions.
Stan Wawrinka won a couple of qualifying matches to secure his place in the main draw. He defeated Joao Sousa in straight sets in the first round and then knocked out top seed Daniil Medvedev in the second round. The Swiss took on Mikael Ymer in the quarterfinals.
Wawrinka jumped to a 3-1 lead in the opening set and held on to the lead until the end of the set to win it. Both players had break point chances early on in the second set, but failed to capitalize on them. Ymer was the first to make a successful move as he went up a break to lead 5-3. However, he failed to serve out the set in the following game.
Wawrinka then served to stay in the set at 5-4 and saved three set points before Ymer finally managed to break his serve to take the set. The three-time Major champion was ahead 3-1 in the final set, but the Swede managed to claw his way back into the match.
Ultimately, the decising set went into a tiebreak, with Wawrinka coming out on top to win 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (5).
Alexander Bublik vs Stan Wawrinka head-to-head
Bublik leads Wawrinka 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters in three sets.
Alexander Bublik vs Stan Wawrinka odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Alexander Bublik vs Stan Wawrinka prediction
Bublik has been pushed to three sets in all of his matches so far. His serve has been decent, but inconsistent. In his previous match, he hit 15 aces, but 10 double faults put him on the backfoot too.
Wawrinka called the trainer during the quarterfinals in the second set to deal with his left foot, which seemed to be bothering him. While he was able to win the match, his fitness remains a concern. The Swiss still managed to come out on top in the longer rallies and that sort of consistency and shotmaking will help him against Bublik too.
The Kazakh has managed to stumble across the finish line in his three matches here. Against a resurgent Wawrinka, he'll need to be at his best right from the start.
Bublik needed three sets to defeat him during their previous encounter, and back then the Swiss wasn't even in top form. The indoor conditions do suit his game, so expect him to reach the final in the end.
Pick: Alexander Bublik to win in three sets.