Andrey Rublev (L) and Stefanos Tsitsipas
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 having defended his title in Monte-Carlo and reaching the quarterfinals in Barcelona. The Greek has carried his good form into Madrid, scoring resounding wins over Grigor Dimitrov and Lucas Pouille.
Rublev at the Mutua Madrid Open
Rublev is also fresh off a title in Belgrade, where he beat Novak Djokovic in a three-set final to secure just his third claycourt title.
The 24-year-old, however, has been tested in both of his matches here in Madrid. Having managed to scrape by against Jack Draper in his opening match, he overcame another Brit in the form of Dan Evans. He 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 at last year’s Monte-Carlo finals, in straight sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev odds
(All odds sourced from BetMGM)
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Andrey Rublev prediction
Tsitsipas will enter the contest against Rublev as the favorite
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.
Tsitsipas’ aggressive ball-striking has proven too much to handle for most opponents, but in the form of Rublev, he faces an opponent who plays a similar style of tennis.
The sixth seed enjoys taking control of the rallies using his big groundstrokes, but has the tendency to concede easy 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 them. Tsitsipas has been especially impressive in that department, winning nearly 90% on his first serve. If he can keep hitting his spots on serve, the Greek could prove too steady for Rublev to get past in the end.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets
