Second seed Andrey Rublev will encounter 123rd rank holder Jiri Vesely in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Saturday.
The 24-year-old Russian began his 2022 season with victories over Gianluca Mager and Ricardas Berankis at the Australian Open, where he advanced to the third round. Marin Cilic, on the other hand, stunned him 7-5, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3. However, Rublev dropped a spot to seventh in the ATP rankings after his early withdrawal in Melbourne. After that, he went on to win his 9th career title by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Marseille final. The 24-year-old joined the Dubai Tennis Championships as the second seed and won his first match in straight sets against Dan Evans before advancing to the semifinals by defeating Kwon Soon-woo and Mackenzie McDonald in three sets. In the final four, he faced fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz. The big-serving Pole stole the first set, but Rublev stormed back to win the next two 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) to earn his second final of 2022.
Jiri Veselý began the year with a first-round exit at the Adelaide International 1 in Australia. Afterwards, things weren’t going good for the Czech as he was consecutively knocked out at the Australian Open and Maharashtra open, shortly followed by the Qatar Open. He did, however, get off to a strong start in the Dubai Tennis Championships. After victories over Hady Habib and Alexei Popyrin, the Czech qualified for the main draw of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Vesely advanced to the second round after defeating Marin Cilic in the first round. Thus, he was able to earn a clash with Roberto Batista Agut and beat the Spaniard (6-2, 6-4). In the process, he earned himself a place in the quarter-finals.
Vesely pulled off the tournament’s biggest upset by defeating Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. This was his second victory over a Serb in his career.
In the semifinals, the 28-year-old faced Denis Shapovalov. The Canadian won the first set 7-6, but Vesely battled back to win the second and third sets in a tie-break to advance to the final.
Andrey Rublev Vs Jiri Vesely Match Prediction: Match Details
- Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships 2022.
- Date: 26th February 2022.
- Venue: Dubai, UAE.
- Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
- Round: Final.
- Category: ATP 500.
- Prize money: $2,794,840.
Andrey Rublev Vs Jiri Vesely: Head-To-Head Records Till Date
Since this is the first time Andrey Rublev and Jiri Vesely will battle each other on the main tour, there is no previous head-to-head record between them. The score in the head-to-head encounter is currently 0-0.
Andrey Rublev Vs Jiri Vesely Match Prediction: Who Will Be The Ultimate Winner?
Rublev will be the overwhelming favourite going into the fight. Since the last three weeks, he has been striking really well from the baseline, which speaks well for him on the ATP 500 stage in general. On the other hand, Vesely has been returning exceptionally well all week, so he’ll serve flawlessly. The Czech has taken use of the angles and he has a decent chance of pushing Rublev to the limit. However, in view of Rublev’s current form, we can foresee him taking the title home after a thrilling encounter.
Our prediction: Andrey Rublev to take the trophy home in three sets.
Read more: 5 Tennis Players with the Most Gold Medals in Olympics
Andrey Rublev’s Last 3 Performances
- Dubai Tennis Championships 2022: Semifinals- Andrey Rublev d. Hubert Hurkacz (3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7-5) ).
- Dubai Tennis Championships 2022: Quarterfinals- Andrey Rublev d. Mackenzie Mcdonald (2-6, 6-3, 6-1).
- Dubai Tennis Championships 2022: Round of 16- Andrey Rublev d. Soon Woo Kwon (4-6, 6-0, 6-3).
Jiri Veseley’s Last 3 Performances
- Dubai Tennis Championships 2022: Semifinals- Jiri Veselý d. Denis Shapovalov (6-7, 7-6, 7-6).
- Dubai Tennis Championships 2022: Quarterfinals- Jiri Veselý d. Novak Djokovic (6-4, 7-6).
- Dubai Tennis Championships 2022: Round of 16- Jiri Veselý d. Roberto Bautista Agut (6-2, 6-4).
Andrey Rublev Vs Jiri Vesely: Broadcasting And Livestreaming Details
However, all of the action will be broadcasted live for spectators in the following countries, on the following networks and websites:
- USA: Viewers in the United States can catch all the action on Tennis Channel.
- UK: Enthusiasts in the United Kingdom can watch the action live on Amazon Prime Video.
- India: Tennis TV will broadcast the tournament live in India.
- Europe: European viewers can also enjoy the match live on SkySports.
