Gijon Open 2022: Andrey Rublev vs. Dominic Thiem Tennis Pick and Prediction

TennisSection previews the 2022 Gijon Open as Andrey Rublev takes on Dominic Thiem in the semifinal on Saturday, October 15th, 2022.

A heavyweight clash is in store at the Gijon Open as top seed Andrey Rublev faces a resurgent Dominic Thiem in the last four. Who will reach the championship match?

Andrey Rublev’s form continues to go from strength to strength as the Russian top seed reached the semifinals of the Gijon Open with a fine win over high-flying Tommy Paul. Rublev has been handed a very difficult path to reach the last four, having to tame Ilya Ivashka in the second round in three sets and then being pushed by the American Paul before running out a 7-5 6-3 winner. He is now 12-2 on indoor hard courts in 2022 and will be the overwhelming favorite to make the finals when he faces Dominic Thiem.

Dominic Thiem, meanwhile, is into his second tour-level semifinal of the season at the Gijon Open. The Austrian one-hander overcame Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo – one of the ATP’s breakout stars of 2022 – in straight sets. Thiem’sresurgence is gathering momentum and he is now within two matches from clinching his first ATP title since 2020. Having started the year with seven defeats on the trot, Thiem has been in a rich vein of form at the newly-minted Gijon Open, playingsome of his best tennis in defeating Joao Sousa in the first round and escaping a tricky second-rounder against Marcos Giron.

Andrey Rublev leads Dominic Thiem 3-2 in their head-to-head at tour level. It is pertinent to note Rublev has won each of their last two meetings in 2020 on hard courts including at the ATP Finals in London. Rublev is almost certain to play the ATP Finals this year and another win at the Gijon Open moves him ever closer to qualification for Turin. The same cannot be said of Thiem who is still climbing up the rankings from the depths of obscurity, but his form has been extremely brilliant in recent weeks. But I can’t see him being a thorn in Rublev’s game. The Russian’s power is unlike anything Thiem has faced in 2022, and he will feel a change of pace in rallies.