Rotterdam 2022: Andrey Rublev vs Kwon Soon-woo preview, head to head & prediction | ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
Match details
Fixture: (1) Andrey Rublev vs Kwon Soon-woo
Date: 10 February 2022
Tournament: ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €1,208,315
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Andrey Rublev vs Kwon Soon-woo preview
Reigning Rotterdam champion Andrey Rublev takes on South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo in the second round of the 2022 edition on Thursday.
Rublev started his season at the Australian Open, and won his opening round match against Gianluca Mager 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. He followed that up with another straight-sets victory, this time over Ricardas Berankis, to reach the third round.
However, the Russian had no answer to 27th seed Marin Cilic in the third round, losing in four sets. That, coupled with Matteo Berrettini's run to the semifinals, meant that Rublev dropped one spot - down to No. 7 - in the ATP rankings.
The 24-year-old entered the Rotterdam tournament as the second seed, and faced Henri Laaksonen in the opening round. Rublev beat the Swiss comfortably (6-4, 6-4) to advance to the second round of the competition.
and 
after a 6-4 6-4 win over qualifier Henri Laaksonen. #abnamrowtt
4️⃣ and 4️⃣ is the score! 💪
Andrey Rublev advances to round 2️⃣ after a 6-4 6-4 win over qualifier Henri Laaksonen. #abnamrowtt https://t.co/7AfiDtAFls
Kwon Soon-woo, meanwhile, started the 2022 season at the Adelaide International 1, where he was seeded eighth. The South Korean beat Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in the opening round but lost to Mikael Ymer in the second.
Kwon then competed at the Adelaide International 2, coming back from a set down to defeat fifth seed Lloyd Harris 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 in his first match. But he once again lost in the second round, this time to eventual runner-up Arthur Rinderknech.
The 24-year-old started the Australian Open by beating Denmark's Holger Rune in five sets. Kwon then faced 14th seed Denis Shapovalov in the second round, and pushed him to five sets. However, the Canadian managed to survive the scare and progress to the next round.
Kwon then played the Open Sud de France in Montpellier and thrashed Hugo Gaston 6-2, 6-1 to reach the second round, where he lost to Richard Gasquet.
The South Korean faced Gaston for a second time in as many weeks on Wednesday, beating him 6-3, 6-3 to set up the match against Rublev.
Kwon over Gaston!
A more than decent #abnamrowtt debut for the Korean, who swiftly moved past the Frenchman for the second week in a row: 6-3 6-3. 👏 https://t.co/8GqxNNrm3h
Andrey Rublev vs Kwon Soon-woo head-to-head
Thursday's match in Rotterdam will be the very first meeting between Rublev and Kwon. The winner will take on either Marton Fucsovics or Tallon Griekspoor in the quarterfinals.
Andrey Rublev vs Kwon Soon-woo prediction
Andrey Rublev will go in as the heavy favorite to win the match on Thursday. Following his early exit from the Australian Open, Rublev would be keen to put up a strong showing in Rotterdam and maybe even win the title again.
The Russian has a fairly good record on hardcourts, having won 43 out of 61 matches since 2021. Kwon Soon-woo, meanwhile, has won 16 out of 32 in the same period.
Rublev will lean on his serve and powerful groundstrokes, particularly his forehand, to trouble his opponent. But given Kwon's exceptional defense, the Russian would have to be careful not to lose the shape on his shots when made to hit a few in succession.
Given his overall quality and experience, Rublev should be expected to get the better of the South Korean and reach the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets.