TennisSection previews the 2022 Indian Wells Andrey Rublev takes on Frances Tiafoe in the third round on Tuesday, March 15th, 2022.
Andrey Rublev overcame a determined opponent to kick off his Indian Wells campaign with a win. Now he will face a slightly more testing examination of his title credentials when he takes on the fit-again Frances Tiafoe. Will the American record the upset?
Andrey Rublev notched his 10th straight match win after overcoming some dogged resistance from Germany’s Dominik Koepfer. Rublev, who has already won a 250-level title in Marseille, and a 500-level title in Dubai, is aiming to complete the set by winning the prestigious Indian Wells title this fortnight. The Russian is one of the favorites to walk away with his first Masters 1000 title, but faces stiff competition from this moment on. Victory over Koepfer was not as straightforward as the pre-match expectation. Rublev fought back from a break deficit in the first set before wrestling control of the match. He will now face his first big hurdle in the third round when he takes on Frances Tiafoe. Rublev, it should be noted has never gone beyond the third round at Indian Wells in his three previous main draw appearances.
Frances Tiafoe, for his part, dispelled doubts regarding his form and fitness as he defeated countryman Brandon Nakashima in his second-round match at Indian Wells. ‘Big Foe’ had been missing from action since his second-round exit at the Australian Open, electing to underdog elbow rehabilitation break. And he was in supreme form in his first match back against a very tricky opponent. Tiafoe fired nine aces in the match and was only broken once in the whole match, which he won 6-4 6-4.
Frances Tiafoe leads Andrey Rublev 1-0 in their head-to-head. That win came in that epic third-round match at the US Open last season. Tiafoe has been steadily climbing the rankings after a resurgent 2021 season. But his exertions have come at a personal cost, forcing him out of action with an elbow injury in the past month. He has since recovered, but I reckon he is not operating at full fitness just yet. And against an in-form Rublev, there is only one winner.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Andrey Rublev to win in straight sets.
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