Wimbledon 2023: Andrey Rublev vs Aslan Karatsev preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (7) Andrey Rublev vs Aslan Karatsev
Date: July 5, 2023
Tournament: Wimbledon 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: London, United Kingdom
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £44,700,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN & RDS | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports
Andrey Rublev vs Aslan Karatsev preview
World No. 7 Andrey Rublev will take on Aslan Karatsev in the second round of the 2023 Wimbledon on Wednesday.
Rublev was up against Max Purcell in the opening round. The first set was relatively straightforward as a single break of serve in the Russian's favor helped him claim it.
Rublev found himself in trouble in the second set as he fell behind 3-0. However, he turned things around rather quickly and mounted a fightback to take the set. The third set started with three straight breaks of serve, with the Russian gaining the upper hand to go 2-1 up.
Rublev defended the lead quite easily and went on to win the match 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. With the victory, he maintained his record of never losing in the first round at Wimbledon.
Karatsev was drawn against Luca Van Assche in his opener. The former led 5-2 in the first set, but let it slip from his fingers after wasting set points. The set went into a tie-break, with the Frenchman coming out on top in it.
Karatsev found himself leading 3-1 in the second set, but Van Assche fought back to make it 3-3. The Russian snagged another break in the seventh game to go 4-3 up and held on to the lead this time to clinch the set.
Karatsev faced some resistance from time to time over the next two sets, but there was no stopping him in the end as he won 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. This was his maiden main draw victory at Wimbledon.
Andrey Rublev vs Aslan Karatsev head-to-head
Karatsev leads Rublev 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2021 Dubai Open in three sets.
Andrey Rublev vs Aslan Karatsev odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Andrey Rublev vs Aslan Karatsev prediction
Despite his plethora of errors throughout the match, Karatsev found ways to outplay Van Assche consistently. He struck 57 winners and committed 60 unforced errors. His serving stats were pretty decent as well.
The second set was the only time Rublev looked a bit bothered by Purcell. However, he outfoxed his opponent to snatch the set from him and win the match in straight sets. He hit 27 winners while his unforced errors count stood at 26.
Both Rublev and Karatsev are big hitters and look for the opportunity to finish the point with a crisp winner. On a slick surface like grass, the two could put on a fine display of first-strike tennis.
However, they do have a tendency to go for broke at times, resulting in frequent errors. The player who plays with some more margin is going to have the edge, and most likely, that's going to be Rublev.
Pick: Andrey Rublev to win in four sets.