Alexander Zverev vs Andrey Rublev Odds & Prediction

Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev are longtime friends, going back to their junior days. But they’ve not met on the court much in recent years. Who will win when the two meet up in the Dubia Open semifinals on Friday? We have the Alexander Zverev vs Andrey Rublev prediction here.

Zverev vs Rublev Odds

The Zverev vs Rublev odds make Zverev the favorite at -128 and Rublev only a slight underdog at +108 and the match promises to be a tight affair. Odds as of March 2 at FanDuel.

First Meeting Since Cincinnati 2021

The last time they met was probably their biggest occasion – the final of the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati in the summer of 2021.

But as close as they are, and given the similarity in rankings and the fact that they mostly play the same tournaments, it’s somewhat surprising they’ve played just three times in the last 6 1/2 years.

This is probably merciful for Rublev. In five previous meetings – four of them on outdoor hard courts, which will be the setting for their semifinal in Dubai Friday – he’s never taken a set.

Zverev vs Rublev Head-to-Head

In fact, he’s only even come close once: Rublev pushed Zverev to a second-set tiebreak when they played in Shanghai in 2019, salvaging some pride after Zverev inflicted a bagel set (6-0) on him to start the match.

Zverev Slowly On the Mend After Ankle Injury

Even the most casual tennis fans will probably remember last year’s French Open when Zverev was really on a roll and looking to give perennial champion Rafael Nadal a battle.

Zverev had dismissed Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the quarterfinals, a match that took 3h18.

Against Nadal, the first set took 92 minutes, under the roof in rainy Paris with draining, humid conditions. The second set was headed in the same direction when, perhaps partly out of fatigue, Zverev went over his ankle – badly. He had to retire and was taken off the court in a wheelchair.

He had to have surgery to repair three torn lateral ligaments in the ankle.

The German missed the rest of the season. And his return had stuttered (3-6 coming into Dubai) in 2023 before gathering a little momentum this week.

Zverev’s three-set, comeback win over the in-form Jiri Lehecka in the first round was the first really positive sign of the season.

Zverev vs Rublev Match History

Rublev Struggles to Start 2023

As for Rublev, it hasn’t been much of a season beyond his excellent performance at the Australian Open, where he defeated Holger Rune in the round of 16 (in a fifth-set match tiebreak) before going down meekly to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

Coming into Dubai, he had won just one other match all year.

But in saving five match points against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round (the third time this year, including against Rune, that he’d done that and gone on to win), maybe the tide is turning.

Zverev vs Rublev Prediction

Generally speaking, Rublev gets no traction in the Zverev vs Rublev matchup. Which explains the head-to-head.

Zverev’s serve is too big for the Russian to have it his way, to hit mostly on the forehand. And Zverev’s backhand is one of the best in the game; he’s able to find Rublev’s weaker backhand with it even if Rublev cheats over to the ad side. Zverev also is able to hit it down the line, if he creates that opening by stuffing Rublev into the ad corner.

But all bets in the Zverev vs Rublev odds might be off this time. Rublev is in bonus time after his narrow escape, and Zverev is still a long way from his best.

That doesn’t mean Zverev can’t win; it just means that he’s likely in for a most substantive battle than he’s used to against his pal.

Zverev vs Rublev Picks: Over 2.5 Sets (+108)

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