TennisSection previews the 2022 Dubai Open as Andrey Rublev takes on Jiri Vesely in the final on Saturday, February 26th, 2022.
Jiri Vesely is one win away from sealing a sensational title triumph at the Dubai Open. Having passed the ultimate test in Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, the Czech will need to hold off an in-form Andrey Rublev in the final.
Doubts had crept in after a tough start in Australia for Andrey Rublev. His third-round exit to Marin Cilic preceded a tumultuous buildup to his preparations when he tested positive for Covid on his arrival Down Under. Then came an agonizing semifinal loss in Rotterdam which effectively ended his title defense at the ATP 500 event in the Netherlands. But Rublev has steered himself in the title picture since. A first title of the year arrived on the indoor hard courts of Marseille, simultaneously avenging his defeat to Auger-Aliassime in Rotterdam. Rublev would also fill his trophy cabinet with the doubles title from the south of France after joining forces with Denys Molchanov. The Russian World No. 7 maintained that stellar run in the Middle East, picking up four victories to reach his first final at the Dubai Open. Will he register his ninth straight win when he takes on Jiri Vesely on Saturday?
Jiri Vesely has won tour ATP titles in his career. And after dividing time between the ATP Challenger Tour and ATP Tour in recent years, he has only produced spasmodic moments of brilliance. A battle with Covid and freak road accident prevented him from competing at the top level in the past 12 months. But he has put together a tremendous run at the Dubai Open in which he has beaten some of the ATP’s biggest names. His win over Djokovic probably stands out engraved in gold, but he has managed to back it up with another incredible win against the odds in the semis. Vesely scored his third Top 20 victory of the week after outlasting Denis Shapovalvov in three tiebreak sets, in a match that crossed the three hour mark. Who can bet against this indefatigable Czech who just can’t stop winning?
Andrey Rublev and Jiri Vesely have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Saturday’s final at the Dubai Open will be their first official meeting. Rublev has hit a purple patch in recent weeks and should considerably be fresher both mentally and physically than Vesely. The Czech will be unfazed by the Russian’s firepower. He has shown this week he can take a racket out of any opponent’s hands including the world’s best. However, for all the excellent work that the Czech southpaw has done this week, Rublev has been slightly more convincing and also navigated a slightly less treacherous path to the championship match. It has been a heroic by Vesely and you cannot rule him out entirely, but the smart money should be on the in-form Russian to hoist his second title of the season.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in 3 sets.
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