Metz Open 2022: Lorenzo Sonego vs. Alexander Bublik Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Metz Open as Alexander Bublik takes on Lorenzo Sonego in the final on Sunday, September 25th, 2022.

Will Alexander Bublik clinch his second ATP Tour title on French soil? Or Will Lorenzo Sonego back up his shock victory over defending champion Hubert Hurkacz and walk away from the Metz Open with the crown? This should be an interesting matchup that will certainly deliver on all fronts, so who will prevail?

Alexander Bublik eased into his second final of the season after his opponent, Stan Wawrinka, was forced to retire in the first set of their semifinal at the Metz Open. The nature of Wawrinka’sinjury was unknown, but it could be an accumulation of fatiguefollowing two mammoth wins in successive days over Medvedev and Mikael Ymer. Bublik will now have the chance to lift his second title on French soil after stunning Alexander Zverev in the Montpellier final earlier this season.

Lorenzo Sonego, meanwhile, scored the biggest upset of the week as he eliminated the 2021 champion Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets. However, the match was not as straightforward, with Sonego digging deep, in a 7-6 6-4 victory that had very little opportunities behind the return. The first set was decided in a tiebreak as both players were neck and neck in points won. The decisive moment came at 5-4 when Sonego stole a mini break with a drive volley that set up a set point. He converted it when Hurkacz fired his backhand long. The Pole fired five aces in the match and won all points behind his second serve, but ironically, was the player to drop serve in the match. That costly break came in the second set when Sonego outwitted his opponent and forcing an error once again from the backhand wing. He went on to close out victory in 99 minutes.

Lorenzo Sonego leads Alexander Bublik 3-1 in their head-to-head across all levels. Sonego has beaten Bublik in all three meeting at tour level including their last showdown in Eastbourne last season. Bublik’s sole victory over the Italian came at the Bratislava Challenger four years ago. Sonego, who is unseeded this week, has only been broken three times and is yet to drop a set. The manner of his victory over Hurkacz was extremely impressive. His movement was top notch as was his ability to take Hurkacz out of his comfort zone. While Bublik is as unpredictable as they come, you feel Sonego’s high-intensitygame is going to make life problematic for the Kazakh. The Italian has also knocked out three big hitters en route to the final, which is a perfect prep against an opponent in the mold of Bublik.