US Open 2020: Andrey Rublev vs Jeremy Chardy preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Andrey Rublev vs Jeremy Chardy
Date: 1 September 2020
Tournament: US Open 2020
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $39,024,000
Match timing: 12:30 pm EDT, 10 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN | India - Star Sports / Hotstar
Andrey Rublev vs Jeremy Chardy preview
Russia's Andrey Rublev will face Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in the first round of the 2020 US Open on Tuesday. The Russian would be looking for another good run at the most successful Slam of his young career so far.
Rublev started his 2020 with a bang, winning the first two tournaments he played - in Doha and Adelaide. The 22-year-old was on a 11-match winning streak in January until his loss to fellow 'NextGen' star Alexander Zverev in the Round of 16 at the Australian Open.
With the COVID-19 break halting his momentum abruptly, Rublev got a couple of wins under his belt at the Adria Tour exhibition tournament. But he lost his first match on return to competitive tennis at the Western & Southern Open last week, to Dan Evans.
Jeremy Chardy, on the other hand, is a tour veteran who has been a regular face on the men's circuit for over 14 years.
The 33-year-old has played only five matches this year, winning two of them. Having not played since the Australian Open, Chardy lost in the qualifying round at the Western & Southern Open last week and looks in miserable form coming into the second Grand Slam of 2020.
Despite having a below par 2019, Chardy did have his moment at the business end of the season. The Frenchman beat the in-form Daniil Medvedev at his home tournament, the Paris Masters.
Andrey Rublev vs Jeremy Chardy head-to-head
Andrey Rublev and Jeremy Chardy have met twice on the ATP Tour with the head-to-head in their rivalry currently standing dead even at 1-1.
Jeremy Chardy would be encouraged by the fact that he won the last meeting between the pair. That came at the same stage as their match on Tuesday, the first round of the 2018 US Open.
However, the young Russian got the better of the Frenchman all three times they met in the Challenger Circuit. He also won their earliest meeting on the ATP tour, in Montepellier.
Andrey Rublev vs Jeremy Chardy prediction
Andrey Rublev would hope to hit the ground running and get back to the form he was in before the COVID-19 break when he takes the court on Tuesday.
The Russian has had his career-best results at the US Open, reaching the quarter-finals in 2017. He put up another decent run last year where he reached the round of 16.
Rublev can potentially go even further this year, having been given a favorable draw. But he needs to start strongly against Chardy and hope that his groundstrokes are firing.
Chardy is looking to get some more Grand Slam match wins under his belt in his final years on tour, and would be eager to repeat his 2018 performance against Andrey Rublev. But the Russian is a much better player now than back then, so Chardy would have his work cut out.
Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets.