Nordea Open 2022: Andrey Rublev vs. Sebastian Baez Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Nordea Open as Andrey Rublev takes on Sebastian Baez in the semifinal on Saturday, July 16th, 2022.

Will Andrey Rublev pick up another title this weekend at the Nordea Open? Or will Sebastian Baez deny the Russian and reach his very own third final of the season? This will be a tough test for the tournament’s second seed. Will he prevail?

Andrey Rublev has been made to work for his two wins at the Nordea Open and it looks like he will have to do it the hard way if he aims to walk away with the title at the weekend. After overcoming Federico Coria in a grueling battle in his opener, Rublev withstood a barrage of heavy hitting by Laslo Djere and dispatched the Serbian 7-5 6-4 in one and half hours. Rublevneeded to stay alert towards the end of the second set as he fended off four break points while serving for the match.

Sebastian Baez, meanwhile, came through a dramatic tussle against two-time Roland Garros runner-up Dominic Thiem in a match that was just nine minutes’ shy of three hours. A resurgent Thiem saved a match point on his serve at 4-5 in the second set, but he could not close out victory in the decider. Baez was well aware of the Austrian’s resilience and quality after seeing him snap his losing streak at this week’s Nordea Open. The Argentine Next Gen star will now be looking to score the biggest win of his career when he takes on the second seed Andrey Rublev.

Andrey Rublev and Sebastian Baez have not played each other on the ATP Tour. Saturday’s match at the Nordea Open will be their first official meeting. Rublev possesses greater firepower in this matchup, but Baez can negate that with his clever moment and incredible returning. Rublev is so tough to beat when he gets to this stage at a tournament and it is hard to bet against him on current form.