Russia’s Andrey Rublev will take on the Italian Fabio Fognini in the round of 16 in the China Open on Wednesday, October 2. The match is scheduled to start at 4.00 pm local time (9.00 am BST). You can find Andrey Rublev v Fabio Fognini live streaming, head to head, preview & predictions here.
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Andrey Rublev v Fabio Fognini Chang Head to Head
The pair have played each other on five occasions with the Italian leading by four matches to one. Fognini won their first-ever meeting at Barcelona back in 2015 as well as in Davis Cup in the same year, Beijing last year and Monte Carlo earlier this year. Rublev’s solitary victory came at Umag in 2017.
Rublev Finally Finding Rhythm After a Long Struggle
After a breakout season in 2017 where the young Russian won his maiden ATP title, reached the last eight of the US Open and the finals at the ATP Next Generation Finals. Rublev lost his way last year due to a back injury that saw his rankings drop outside the top 150 after achieving a career-high of 31 at the start of 2018.
His recovery has been a stop-start one with multiple early-round exits and disappointing losses. But since his final appearance at Hamburg earlier this year, his record has been an impressive 18-7 and has seen him reach quarterfinals at Cincinnati Open, Winston Salem & Saint Petersburg apart from a round of 16 appearances at the US Open.
Last year he lost in the second round match against Italian Fabio Fognini here in Beijing, and this year he arrives in the second round by beating the same player. The 21-year-old will be looking to continue his excellent form and add to his solitary title at Umag from 2017.
Read More:
Fabio Fognini, Forever in Search of Consistency
Despite winning over 350 matches on the ATP tour and nine titles, consistency has always been missing from the Italian’s career. Despite being a top 100 players for almost a decade now, Fognini has made headlines more for the controversies, suspension & on-field behavior than his on-court results.
Despite being of modest stature, Fognini has one of the most potent baseline game in the men’s circuit. A strong serve that can reach 130 MPH as well as accurate groundstrokes, Italian has lots of flair, pace, and amazing ability to cover the court. Since 2018 his numbers have done a lot more justice to his talent with him winning three titles, breaking into the top 20 in the world and achieving the most number of wins in a calendar year in his career.
Despite the recent news that he shall be parting company with his coach Franco Davin at the end of the season, Fognini has been able to put away the distraction and came through a hard-fought victory over Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin in three sets.
Andrey Rublev v Fabio Fognini Predictions & Tips
The harder and faster courts of Beijing will suit Rublev’s game more, and the Russian will go into the match as a firm favorite. Rublev has been much more consistent in the second half of the season, and a powerful baseline game with huge forehand will be a significant weapon against Fognini who isn’t the best retriever around.
I expect Rublev to go through to the quarter-finals despite Fognini giving him a tough fight.
Tip: Rublev to win in three sets 3/1 at 888Sport
You can watch & bet on Andrey Rublev v Fabio Fognini live on Wednesday, October 2 here. . Get the latest tennis predictions and tips here.
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