Madrid Open 2022: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (6) Andrey Rublev
Date: 6 May 2022
Tournament: Madrid Open 2022
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Madrid, Spain
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Match timing: Not before 8 pm local time, 6 pm GMT, 2 am EST, 11.30 pm IST
Prize money: €6,744,165
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports18 & Voot
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev preview
Familiar foes Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev will lock horns in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Madrid Open on Friday.
Tsitsipas, the fourth seed, came into the tournament in fine form, having defended his title in Monte-Carlo and reached the quarterfinals in Barcelona. The Greek has carried his good form into Madrid, scoring resounding wins over Grigor Dimitrov and Lucas Pouille.
Rublev, meanwhile, is fresh off a title run in Belgrade, where he beat Novak Djokovic in a three-set final.
The 24-year-old, however, has been tested in both of his matches in Madrid. Having managed to scrape past Jack Draper in his opening match, he overcame another Brit in the form of Dan Evans in the third round.
The Russian can almost certainly expect another difficult outing against Tsitsipas on Friday.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev head-to-head
Tsitsipas and Rublev have split their previous eight meetings, so their current head-to-head stands at a 4-4 deadlock. The Greek won their most recent claycourt meeting, which came in Monte-Carlo last year, in straight sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev odds
(All odds sourced from BetMGM)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev prediction
Given his recent run of form, Stefanos Tsitsipas will enter this contest as the favorite on paper. The only match the Greek has dropped on clay this year was against Carlos Alcaraz in Barcelona.
Tsitsipas' aggressive ball-striking has proven too much to handle for most opponents, but in the form of Rublev, he faces a player who plays a similar style of tennis.
The sixth seed enjoys taking control of the rallies using his big groundstrokes, but has a tendency to cough up untimely errors. Tsitsipas, on the other hand, is capable of putting more shape on the ball -- especially on the forehand -- making his game better suited for clay.
First-serve numbers will be key as both players win a fair few points behind that shot. Tsitsipas has been especially impressive in that department, winning nearly 90% of the points on his first serve so far in the competition. If he can keep hitting his spots on serve, the Greek could prove too much for Rublev in the end.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets