TennisSection previews the 2022 Marseille Open as Andrey Rublev takes on Benjamin Bonzi in the semifinal on Saturday, February 19th, 2022.
Andrey Rublev has been playing with fire at this week’s Marseille Open, but has done enough for now to avoid getting burnt. And Rublev will face a third Frenchman in Benjamin Bonzi as he looks to reach his first final of the season.
Andrey Rublev needed the drama of a third set to dismiss Lucas Pouille and advance into the semifinals of the Marseille Open. For the second time this week, the Russian has been pushed to the brink. Having narrowly escaped the shackles of Richard Gasquet in a breathless Round of 16 encounter, Rublev lost control of his quarterfinal match against Pouille. It was a colossal collapse given that Rublev had taken the first set at a canter. But Pouille fed on the crowd’s energy and cheers to level before going up a break in the decider. And at that moment, it was bedlam for Rublev. However, the second seed managed to recapture his timing of the short balls and shifted through the gears to reel off six straight games.
Benjamin Bonzi, for his part, made it eight wins on the trot with a stunning win over the number four seed Aslan Karatsev. The Frenchman who is still in buoyant mood after his title win at the Cherbourg Challenger last week, is into his first ATP semifinal of his career. Bonzi’s transition to the top level of men’s tennis is taking shape and the 25-year-old is reaping the rewards of positive attitude and hard work even whilst competing on the second tier of the men’s circuit for most of his career.
Andrey Rublev and Benjamin Bonzi have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Saturday’s semifinal match at the Marseille Open will be their first official meeting. Bonzi is an accomplished competitor on the ATP Challenger Tour having amassed seven titles at that level, with six of those coming last season. As a result, he has got his ranking moving in the right direction. Bonzi’s general mobility is decent and has got immense firepower off both wings. But Rublev, for me, is miles better at everything Bonzi does. And when you consider that he had to dig out two back-against-the-wall performances this week, he should be a step ahead of his opponent who is in unfamiliar territory.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
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