Vienna 2020: Andrey Rublev vs Norbert Gombos preview, head-to-head & prediction | Erste Bank Open
Match details
Fixture: (5) Andrey Rublev vs Norbert Gombos
Date: 26 October 2020
Tournament: Erste Bank Open 2020
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Vienna, Austria
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €1,409,510
Match timing: Not before 5.30 pm local time, 10 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony ESPN
Andrey Rublev vs Norbert Gombos preview
Russian youngster Andrey Rublev has had a phenomenal season in 2020. He has already won four ATP titles this year, while also making it to the quarterfinal of two Grand Slams.
Rublev comes into Vienna on the back of a successful campaign at St Petersburg, where he won his second career ATP 500 title.
Rublev has been in particularly good form on hardcourts, having won three titles on the surface this year with a 24-5 win-loss record. He currently has a career-best ATP ranking of No. 8, which he achieved earlier this month.
Qualifier Norbert Gombos, meanwhile, ranks outside the top 100, at No.104. He had a decent run in the qualifying rounds at Vienna, losing just one set in two matches.
Gombos got a straight-sets victory over second seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round, before coming up against Vitaliy Sachko. He went down by a set in that encounter, but made a strong comeback to win 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.
Gombos had made it to an ATP quarterfinal earlier this year, at Montpellier.
Andrey Rublev vs Norbert Gombos head-to-head
This will be the first ever encounter between Andrey Rublev and Norbert Gombos. They go into the game with their head-to-head tied at 0-0.
Andrey Rublev vs Norbert Gombos prediction
Andrey Rublev has repeatedly shown this year that he has the game as well as the mentality to win big tournaments. While the Russian has a powerful and accurate forehand, he also wins a lot of points with his two-handed backhand.
Rublev has recently made vast improvements to his serve, with which he has already picked up 328 aces this year. The 23-year-old has won 80% of his first-serve points on hardcourts this year.
Norbert Gombos on his part has won 71% of his first-serve points on the surface this year. His serve is not as powerful as Rublev's, but he has managed to hit 55 aces with it in 2020.
However, Gombos comes into the tournament with a concerning win-loss record of 5-6. Rublev might be in too good form for the Slovak at the moment.
Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets.