Miami Open 2021: Andrey Rublev vs Hubert Hurkacz preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Andrey Rublev vs Hubert Hurkacz
Date: 2 April 2021
Tournament: Miami Open 2021
Round: Semifinals
Venue: Miami, Florida
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $3,340,000
Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 4.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Europsort
Andrey Rublev vs Hubert Hurkacz preview
Andrey Rublev, the highest remaining seed at the 2021 Miami Open, is set to take on Poland's Hubert Hurkacz for a place in the final of the Masters 1000 event.
Rublev has been dominant in his wins throughout the week, and is the only semifinalist who is yet to drop a set. He will now be hopeful of carrying that momentum into his match against Hurkacz.
Hurkacz, who started the new season with a title run at the Delray Beach Open, looks to have brought his best tennis to the Floridian city as well. The 24-year-old has wreaked havoc in the draw, scoring major upset wins over Denis Shapovalov, Milos Raonic and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last three rounds respectively.
Hurkacz has a big game built around solid serving and nifty front court skills. He has put his his strengths to good use throughout the week, and could well ask a few questions of Rublev.
Andrey Rublev vs Hubert Hurkacz head-to-head
Hubert Hurkacz leads Andrey Rublev in the head-to-head by a slender 1-0 win, having scored a hard-fought three-set win at the 2020 Rome Masters.
Andrey Rublev vs Hubert Hurkacz prediction
Andrey Rublev will enter this contest as the firm favorite, despite having lost his only prior meeting to Hubert Hurkacz. The Russian has been in great touch at the start of the new season and has proven to be a very difficult opponent to beat on harcourts.
His serving prowess has helped him close out some tough encounters, and he will need to rely on that in Friday's matchup as well. We can expect a couple of tiebreaker sets, given Hurkacz's similarly powerful serving numbers this week.
Both men have been clinical on the big points in Miami, and if they continue to play in the same vein, we could be in for a three-set thriller. It is likely to come down to a couple of service breaks or slight momentum shifts at the business end of each set, and that's where you might want to give a slight edge to the experienced Rublev.
Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in three sets.