Roberto Bautista Agut vs Andrey Rublev: Hamburg Open Preview and Prediction

It is an exciting battle between the fourth seed, Roberto Bautista Agut and the fifth seed, Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals of the Hamburg Open. 

Agut had to dig deep in the pre-quarterfinals as he ousted the in-form Dominik Koepfer 6-3 3-6 6-3. 

The Spaniard showed enormous consistency in side-to-side rallies with his crisp movement on the forecourt as he outlasted Koepfer despite trailing by a break in the third set. 

This is the first time that Agut has made the quarterfinals at Hamburg. 

On the other hand, Rublev battled past Tommy Paul 6-1 3-6 6-2 to notch up his 22nd win of the season. The Russian won 33 of his 40 service points and clocked an impressive 83% on his first serve. 

Head to Head record 

Agut leads the head to head record 2-1 against Rublev. This is their first meeting on the clay surface. 

With his strong forehand, Agut will aim to keep Rublev pinned behind the baseline. With his solid defense from the back of the court, the Spaniard is a relentless returner. 

Rublev loves playing fast and will depend on his aggressive and first-strike tennis to unsettle Agut. His footwork needs some attention as he has often been caught wanting on the red dirt. 

He cannot make many mistakes against Agut who fights till the last minute. The Spaniard is a powerful counterpuncher and possesses consistent groundstrokes that can trouble Rublev. 

He can also suffocate his opponent with his tough resilience. The Russian would depend on his solid backhand and better returning. If he cuts down his errors made under pressure and adds more dimensions to his game, Rublev would become more strong in the days to come. 

While Agut starts as a slight favourite owing to his superior experience on the clay surface, Rublev cannot be discounted either due to his recent exploits. The match could go down to the wire and both players would look to be at their best in the decider.

Prediction - Roberto Bautista Agut to win in three sets

Featured image credits: firstsportz.com