Alexander Zverev vs Andrey Rublev Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Dubai Open

Prediction published on 03/03/2023, 04:20  by Devesh Jaganath in Tennis Predictions

The ATP Dubai Championship has reached the semi-final stage, and in this crucial penultimate match, defending champion Andrey Rublev will take on the current Olympic champion Alexander Zverev in what should be a titanic struggle for a place in the final. After an excellent 2022 season which brought no less than four titles, Rublev did not carry the same form into this year, losing his two opening matches of the year in Adelaide. However, he bounced back in the Australian Open, reaching the quarter-final stage, which was his joint-best result in Melbourne. He’s now back at one of his favourite venues and has battled his way to earn a spot in this round, overcoming Filip Krajinovic in the tournament opener and then putting on a resilient display against Alejandro Fokina in the second round (1-6, 7-6, 7-6), including five saved match points. Rublev is yet to beat Zverev in his career and will need to pull out all the stops if he’s going to overcome the German in this one.

After being forced to miss a large chunk of the 2022 season due to the injury he picked up at Roland Garros last year, Alexander Zverev’s recovery has been a tough one. Upon returning to action in the United Cup in January, the German lost both matches and looked like it would take a considerable amount of time until he was back to his best. Second-round exits followed in Melbourne and Rotterdam, while the 35-year-old veteran Andy Murray dealt a first-round knockout to Zverev in Doha last week. This has been the first tournament of the year that the German has shown any signs of returning to something like his best form, with wins over Jiri Lehecka (4-6, 6-3, 6-4), Christopher Oconnell (7-5, 6-4), and Lorenzo Sonego (7-5, 6-4). Zverev is 5-0 against this opponent but will have his work cut out to maintain that record while he still tries to find top gear this season.