World number 46 Alexander Bublik will take on the challenge of Australian and 114th-ranked Alexei Popyrin in the first round of the 2021 ATP Singapore Tennis Open on Sunday, February 28, with the match likely to begin at around 1 pm local time. Get the live streaming options of this Alexander Bublik v Alexei Popyrin match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Alexander Bublik v Alexei Popyrin Head to Head
In their only previous encounter which came at the Nur-Sultan Challenger way back in 2018, Popyrin had come through in three, gruelling sets to make it to the second round.
Also Read:
Popyrin Edges Out Cilic
Ranked 114th in the world, Popyrin was always going to be the second favourite going into his semifinal against Marin Cilic, and this was despite the latter’s really poor form in recent times. And yet, it was Popyrin who came through, in two, gruelling sets, to make it to his first ever final in an ATP event.
Needing exactly two hours to come through, the Aussie won 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2) to set up this finals appearance.
Popyrin did not have the brightest of starts in the match, as he fell behind 4-1 after losing his serve in the fourth game of the opening set. He levelled things out with a break back in the seventh game, and then came back from 3-1 down in the tie-breaker to clinch the first set.
In the second, Popyrin had five chances to break Cilic in the second game, failed to do that before taking the set into another tie-breaker which he won easily again.
The Aussie had earlier gotten past Matt Ebden in the quarterfinal while registering wins over Adrian Andreev and Chris Eubanks in the previous rounds as well.
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Bublik Moves Past Career-Best
His previous career-best ranking was 45th, and after having reached the final here, he is now 43rd in the world. A title win could take him further higher.
It’s that victory which has eluded him so far. Having made it to three finals of ATP tournaments, including one as recently as the Antalya Open, Bublik is yet to win a title, having lost all three finals. In his latest at Antalya, he had to retire from the encounter in the very first set, going down to the Aussie Alex de Minaur.
Bublik now faces another Australian player, having needed three sets to get past Radu Albot in the semifinal. He overcame a first set deficit to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 and march into the final. In a match lasting an hour and 32 minutes, Bublik lost his serve twice in the first set, while breaking his opponent once early in the second.
The Kazakh then broke Albot in the very first game of the third set, managing to hold on to his serve through the rest of the set to clinch the encounter.
Bublik v Popyrin Prediction and Tip
Bublik is raring to win his first title and this will present as his best chance to clinch that maiden victory. Might be not the most straightforward but he is a heavy favourite.
Tip: Bublik to win: 8/13 (bet365)
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The 2021 ATP Singapore Tennis Open will be played from February 22 to 28. You can watch & bet on the these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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