Pavel Kotov vs Andrey Rublev Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Bastad Open

Prediction published on 20/07/2023, 00:20  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 20/07/2023 at 00:20 in Tennis Predictions

Second seed Andrey Rublev begins his Swedish Open campaign on Thursday with a second-round tie against qualifier Pavel Kotov. The winner here will next play the winner between fifth seed Alexander Zverev and the unseeded Thiago Monteiro. Kotov has qualified for the main draw here for the first time in what is his second appearance in the tournament. The Russian has won two of his three matches without dropping a set, including his first-round tie. He defeated Marco Cecchinato by the loss of just three games, an outcome that will have built his confidence even more. Kotov has had his best moments this season on clay where 20 of his 33 wins have come. His highlight so far remains to be his run to the semifinals in Marrakech, his first tour semifinal to date. He is now up to 83rd in the live ranking which is a career-high ranking for him.

Andrey Rublev is a former semifinalist here. He made his debut in Bastad last season and will be out to surpass that feat. Rublev is a strong performer on clay and has won four tour titles, including a Masters 1000 on the surface. That Masters title came this season in Monte-Carlo. It is the only title he has won in the four finals he has played so far in 2023. Two of those finals have been on clay. Rublev has been one of the in-form players in the ATP this season and has won 35 of the 49 matches he has played. Fourteen of those victories have come on clay. The current world number seven arrives in Bastad after making it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.