Andrey Rublev vs Holger Rune Prediction: Attacking Andrey takes on rising Rune

Tennis is a busy sport at the professional level and tournaments come and go at a rapid pace. The year has gone by in a flash too and here we are, in the deep stages of another big tennis tournament, the Australian Open. This is a tournament that has already crossed 100 years and continues to be one of the most highly-rated events in the world. To symbolize the status of the tournament, Andrey Rublev will take on Holger Rune.

Rublev comes into the game after defeating Dan Evans 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 in the Round of 32. Rublev did a great job of returning the serve, enabling him to a 41-20 points advantage in terms of receiving points. Rublev just had a 64% first serve but ended up with a 61-56 service points edge. Rublev has just lost one set in the tournament, in the second round against Emil Ruusuvori and that also was a tiebreaker situation. However, this deep in the tournament, the draws are going to get tougher. Rublev made it to the QuarterFinals in the 2021 Australian Open but overall, he is yet to make it past the Quarter-Finals in the Grand Slam.

Rune enters the game after defeating Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 in the Third Round. Rune had an 82% first-serve win percentage and ended up with a 65-56 service points advantage. His return game was impressive too, where he pinched out a 35-26 Receiving Points edge. Rune is yet to drop a set and except for a couple of sets where he had to win seven games, he has been dominating. At just 19 years old, the Danish star player has entered the top-ten rankings and is building a solid resume, already reaching the Quarter-Finals in the Grand Slam which was during the French Open. The way he is playing, he can become a title holder soon.

Holger and Andrey met once which was last year during the Paris Masters. Rune won it without dropping any set.

The h2h belongs to Rune but the sample size is just too small to make a big judgment. Rublev thrives at the baseline and can employ strong forehand and two-handed backhand whereas Holger is strong both at the baseline and around the net too, deceiving opponents with his pace. I believe this will be a close battle but I expect Andrey to make it to the next round.