TennisSection previews the 2022 Indian Wells as Andy Murray takes on Alexander Bublik in the second round on Sunday, March 13th, 2022.
Andy Murray rallied to create a little bit of history in his first-round match at Indian Wells, but he cannot rest on his laurels when he takes on the enigmatic Kazakh Alexander Bublik. Will the Briton defeat Bublik for the second time this year?
Andy Murray further cemented his legacy as the best of the rest. Outside the Big 3, Murray is the only other active player to record 700 tour-level victories after edging out Japan’s Taro Daniel in three sets. Daniel was developing into some sort of a bogey opponent for Murray, having stunned the Briton in the first round of the Australian Open in January and threatening to do the same at Indian Wells. The Japanese man took just 28 minutes to wrap up the first set against a lethargic Murray. But the former World No. 1 hit back and took a positive approach. He broke Daniel twice in quick succession to start the second set before leveling the match. And in the decider, Murray recovered from a break deficit and produced some clutch serving to hold for 5-4. Daniel blinked on the face pressure in the tenth game.
Alexnader Bublik, in contrast, didn’t even need to strike a ball in his opening round having received a bye. The Kazakh is the number 31 seed this fortnight at Indian Wells and arrives in the best form and shape of his career. Bublik won his first ATP title last month in Montpellier, beating the top seed Alexander Zverev in the final. He collected his second top-10 win of the season by defeating Casper Ruud at the Davis Cup last weekend.
Andy Murray leads Alexander Bublik 2-0 in their head-to-head. Murray beat the Kazakh at Wimbledon in 2017 when he opened up his title defense in style, and more recently in the first round of Rotterdam. But things should be a whole lot different on Sunday at Indian Wells. Their match in Rotterdam came at an inopportune time, just a couple days after Bublik’s big breakthrough in Montpellier. Emotionally and physically, Bublikwas a spent force in that match, which is why I think he should be functioning close to his best level on Sunday.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Alexander Bublik to win in 3 sets.
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