Serbia Open 2022: Andrey Rublev vs Jiri Lehecka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Andrey Rublev vs (Q) Jiri Lehecka.
Date: 21 April 2022.
Tournament: Serbia Open 2022.
Round: Second Round (Round of 16).
Venue: Novak Tennis Center.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €534,555.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Discovery.
Andrey Rublev vs Jiri Lehecka preview
Second seed Andrey Rublev will take on Czech qualifier Jiri Lehecka in the second round of the 2022 Serbia Open on Thursday.
Rublev had a pretty good hardcourt season, winning two titles and reaching the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters. However, his clay season got off to a rocky start in Monte-Carlo.
After a first-round bye, Rublev took on Alex de Minaur. The Australian won the opening set, but the World No. 8 eventually prevailed 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Rublev then faced Jannik Sinner in the third round. He took an early lead in the opening set, but lost his serve while trying to close it out at 5-4. It was a minor setback as he won the next two games to clinch the opener.
The Russian started the second set by breaking his opponent's serve in the very first game. However, Sinner won six straight games to level the match. The Italian continued his dominance in the deciding set to seal a 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.
Rublev received a first-round bye in Serbia and will launch his campaign against Jiri Lehecka.
Jannik! Jannik! Jannik! 🇮🇹
@janniksin delights the Monte-Carlo crowd with a comeback win over Rublev!
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The clay season hasn't been smooth sailing for Lehecka either. He got off to the worst possible start as he fell in the first round of Grand Prix Hassan II. At the Monte-Carlo Masters, he qualified for the main draw but lost to David Goffin in the opening round.
At the Serbia Open, Lehecka once again had to go through qualifying. He defeated Nino Serdarusic and Flavio Cobolli in straight sets to book his spot in the main draw. The Czech took on Henri Laaksonen in the first round and won 6-2, 7-5 to mark his first main-draw victory on clay at the ATP level.
Andrey Rublev vs Jiri Lehecka head-to-head
This will be the first encounter between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Andrey Rublev vs Jiri Lehecka odds
All odds are courtesy of BetMGM.
Andrey Rublev vs Jiri Lehecka prediction
Given the vast difference in their rankings and experience, Rublev will be the heavy favorite heading into this encounter. He's quite a decent player on clay, having been a finalist at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2021 and a quarterfinalist at Roland Garros in 2020.
While Lehecka hasn't achieved much success on any surface at the ATP level, he won a couple of Challenger titles on clay last year. He also upset Denis Shapovalov en route to the semifinals of this year's Rotterdam Open. The Czech youngster isn't unnerved by big opponents or the occasion.
In his first-round match, Lehecka didn't lose serve even once, saving the couple of break points he faced with ease. It'll be difficult to replicate that against Rublev, who is a huge hitter from the baseline.
Lehecka, on his part, should look to direct most of the traffic to Rublev's backhand, which while consistent, is much less lethal than his forehand.
The Russian's serve has also dipped in recent weeks. Rublev hit seven double faults in his loss against Sinner and will need to improve those numbers going forward.
While Lehecka is undoubtedly a talented player, he lacks the firepower or shot tolerance to truly test Rublev.
Pick: Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets.