Rublev lost a set to Martinez Portero but made it to round 3 of the US Open, where he is to compete against the No. 50 American, Frances Tiafoe. The opponents haven’t faced each other yet.
Andrey Rublev form
A win to nil over Karlovic and 3-1 over Martinez Portero is not such a bad result for Rublev overall. The match against the Spaniard lasted almost 3 hours and, to be honest, after the second set it seemed that the Russian would have problems. But the Spaniard choked after his tie-break victory, losing 2 sets in a row with the same score of 1-6. On the negative side, Andrey was not very good at first serve, especially in the first sets. It’s obvious from his serve stats, only 59%. On the positive side, when succeeding with the first serve Andrey won 83% of the time, which is not bad. Rublev was also very active, with a 67/35 winners and unforced errors difference. The Spaniards' is only 33/30.
Frances Tiafoe form
Before the US Open, Tiafoe reached the quarter-finals of the Winston-Salem Open. The American was knocked out by Ymer, having beaten Murray and Monteiro before this defeat. In New York, Tiafoe won over Eubanks and Pella, and the match against the Argentine ended in 3-0 (6-1, 6-2, 7-5). Even the score suggests the American is in good form, so it won't be easy for Rublev on Saturday. It's difficult to compare the world No. 85 with a top-seven ATP player.
"I studied the bracket and really wanted to get through the first two rounds to play against Andrey. I hope they put us on a big court and the fans will help me. I really want to beat Rublev."
Expert Betting Tips
Despite Tiafoe's statement, bookmakers believe Rublev will make it through the third round with confidence, at least the odds on his victory keep dropping down. Let's also believe that Andrey came to New York to win the trophy, or at least to get into the semifinals. And in order to stay competitive it is important to stay fresh and not lose too much energy on the court, as he did in his match against Martinez Portero. We bet on the Russian and offer the following options for you: H1 (-4.5) for 1.63, TU 38.5 for 1.75.
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