Rotterdam 2024: Andrey Rublev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview, head-to-head, prediction and pick | ABN AMRO Open
Fixture: (2) Andrey Rublev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime
Date: February 14, 2024
Tournament: ABN AMRO Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Rotterdam Ahoy, Netherlands
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize Money: €2,134,985
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, UK - Sky Sports
Andrey Rublev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview:
World No. 5 Andrey Rublev of Russia will take on Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in the second round of the 2024 ABN AMRO Open on Wednesday.
Rublev started the season on a strong note by winning the Hong Kong Open in January. However, he once again found it difficult to get to the business end of a Grand Slam, losing in straight sets to eventual winner Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.
The Russian is nevertheless a force to reckon with in smaller tournaments and is one of the favorites to add 500 ATP points to his kitty by the end of this week by winning the title in Rotterdam. He made a decent enough start to the tournament, beating Zizou Bergs of Belgium 7-5, 6-3 in the first round.
Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, has had to deal with a knee injury that stalled his progress last year. His ranking also plummeted as a result, and he currently sits in the 28th spot. He did reach the semifinal of the Open Sud de France in Montpellier this month, but has not been able to go past the third round of any other tournament since October 2023, including the Australian Open.
The Canadian lost to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the third round of the Australian Open. However, he won a close match against Maxime Cressy 7-6(3), 7-6(8) in the first round to set up a clash with Rublev. The Russian is the second top-10 player apart from Medvedev that Auger-Aliassime is going to face in the space of a few months.
Andrey Rublev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime head-to-head.
The two players have played against each other four times, with Rublev leading their head-to-head 3-1.
Andrey Rublev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Andrey Rublev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview
Wednesday's match will be a clash between two players with huge forehands. Rublev is one of the cleanest strikers of the tennis ball in the world, while Auger-Aliassime can also pack a lot of punch in his forehands.
The Canadian also has a big serve, which he demonstrated extensively against Cressy in the first round by hitting 18 aces. However, he frequently opts for playing slices off his backhand, while Rublev prefers to play his conventional double-handed backhand.
Hence, one can expect to see a lot of cross-court backhand exchanges between the two in the match. However, Auger-Aliassime will have to be careful while playing his backhand slice down the line, as it will take the ball to Rublev's forehand and present the Russian with an opportunity to his thunderbolt of a forehand.
Pick: Rublev to win in three sets.