Monte-Carlo Masters 2022: Andrey Rublev vs Alex de Minaur preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Andrey Rublev vs Alex de Minaur
Date: 13 April 2022
Tournament: Monte-Carlo Masters 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Monte Carlo Country Club
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Match timing: Not before 11 a.m. local time, 9 a.m. GMT, 2:30 p.m. IST
Prize money: €5,802,475
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot
Andrey Rublev vs Alex de Minaur preview
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev will square off against Alex de Minaur in the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday. The Russian did not have a great start to the season as he was eliminated in the third round of the Australian Open.
But he bounced back in Rotterdam, making the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime. Rublev avenged this defeat by beating the Canadian in the final of the Open 13 the following week to win his first title of the season.
The Russian then won the Dubai Tennis Championships, beating Jiri Vesely in the final. He reached the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters but lost to eventual champion Taylor Fritz. The defeat ended the 24-year-old's 13-match winning streak.
At the Miami Masters, Rublev was beaten 6-3, 6-0 in the second round by Nick Kyrgios.
StunNick Kyrgios!
Impressing win for the Aussie who dispatched Andrey Rublev 6-3 6-0 in Miami R2 https://t.co/JjGzipmsKv
De Minaur started the season by winning two out of three matches at the ATP Cup and reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open. He then reached the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam Open before suffering a first-round exit in Dubai.
De Minaur represented Australia in the Davis Cup qualifiers against Hungary and won both his matches against Zsombor Piros and Marton Fucsovics. The 23-year-old then reached the last 16 of the Indian Wells Masters before losing to eventual champion Taylor Fritz in three sets.
He entered the Miami Masters as the 25th seed and reached the second round after beating compatriot Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-3. But this was as far as he could go as third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas knocked him out in straight sets.
At the Monte-Carlo Masters, de Minaur was up against Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the first round and beat the Spaniard 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round.
Alex de Minaur is off to a winning start in Monte Carlo.
The Demon beat Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles in straight sets to advance to the Round of 16.
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Andrey Rublev vs Alex de Minaur head-to-head
Wednesday's match in Monte-Carlo will be the third meeting between the two players, with de Minaur leading the head-to-head 2-0. The pair's first encounter came in the semifinals of the Citi Open in 2018, with the Aussie sneaking it in three tight sets.
The two then met in the round-robin stage of the Next Gen ATP Finals the same year, with de Minaur winning again.
Andrey Rublev vs Alex de Minaur odds
Andrey Rublev vs Alex de Minaur prediction
Rublev will be the favorite heading into the match but de Minaur should not be written off considering he has won both of the pair's previous encounters.
The World No. 8 has won 18 out of 22 matches this year, along with two titles in Marseille and Dubai. De Minaur, on the other hand, has won 12 out of 18 matches.
Rublev has had good results on clay over the past couple of seasons, winning the Hamburg European Open in 2020 and reaching the final last year in Monte-Carlo. The Russian has won 19 out of 26 matches on the surface since the start of 2020. De Minaur, on the other hand, has won only five out of 12 matches on clay in that period.
Rublev's game is built on aggression and attacking intent. He will look to make the most of his serve and powerful forehand to push de Minaur behind the baseline.
The Aussie will have to make use of his speed and court coverage to cope with the Russian's intensity. He will likely have to be more aggressive than usual if he is to stand any chance against the marauding Russian.
De Minaur will be confident knowing that he has beaten Rublev twice before. But both those victories came over three years ago and the Russian has evolved into a much better player since. All things considered, Rublev should have too much power for his Aussie opponent.
Pick: Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets.