Alexander Bublik vs Holger Rune Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Mutua Madrid Open

Prediction published on 27/04/2023, 06:40  by Devesh Jaganath in Tennis Predictions

The Mutua Madrid second round will see Alexander Bublik take on Holger Rune for a place in the round of 32 on Friday. Ranked 55th in the world, Bublik will be hoping that he can repeat his performance over this opponent, which saw him advance to the final in Metz last year. This year, the Kazakh has struggled to find consistency in his performances and has posted an overall record of just 7-13 to date. Bublik’s best finish of the year so far came in Marseille, where he beat Grigor Dimitrov to reach the semi-final but could not get past Hubert Hurkacz. It hasn’t been much better for Bublik since stepping onto the clay, now 1-2, which includes first-round knockouts in Monte Carlo and Barcelona earlier this month. Here in Madrid, Bublik registered his first win on the clay surface in the previous round, overcoming Daniel Elahi Galan, though he was far from convincing and required three grueling sets to get the better of the Colombian. Going up against an in-form opponent, Bublik will need to be at his absolute best to stand a chance of advancing in this tournament.

Rune has improved consistently this year and comes into this tournament in incredible form, having reached the finals in Monte Carlo at the start of the month and then going on to successfully defend his title in Munich last week. In Munich, Rune took down Cristian Garin and Christopher O’Connell en route to the final against Botic Van De Zandschulp, who put up a good fight but was eventually beaten in three incredible sets. Still only 19 years of age and following his first title of the year, the Dane has seen his rank rise to 7th in the world and will be looking to improve his already stellar clay-court record this year, which currently sits at 7-1 in this tournament. This will be Rune’s first match here in Madrid as he received a buy in the first round, and the Dane will be chomping at the bit to get revenge over an opponent that got the better of him on the grass court in September last year.