Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev will battle for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship title on Sunday afternoon in Abu Dhabi. This is the most prestigious event of the ATP’s offseason exhibition schedule and there is plenty of prize money on the line, as well ($250,000 to the winner), so the intensity should be high even though no ranking points are involved.
Opening byes in this loaded six-man field certainly did not prove to be any advantage, as top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud bowed out right away in Saturday’s semifinals. Rublev already had a match under his belt (a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over Borna Coric) and then destroyed Alcaraz 6-2, 6-1. Tsitsipas followed up a 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Cameron Norrie by beating Ruud 6-2, 6-2.
Thus it will be familiar foes Alcaraz and Ruud in the third-place match while Tsitsipas and Rublev take center stage in the final.
Speaking of familiar foes, Tsitsipas and Rublev have faced each other 12 times in official competition and the head-to-head series is all tied up at 6-6 (Tsitsipas leads it 6-5 at the ATP level). Rublev has won five of their eight hard-court encounters, including a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 decision at last month’s Nitto ATP Finals.
Tsitsipas may be a slight favorite on paper, but this should set up well for Rublev. Given his recent head-to-head success in Turin, his performance against Alcaraz, and the Abu Dhabi setting, you have to like the eighth-ranked Russian’s chances. He loves the quick hard-court conditions and–as usual–it will be windy in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Rublev generally handles wind better than the Greek, whose backhand can go awry even in favorable conditions.
Look for Rublev to come out on top in a competitive, high-quality contest.
Pick: Rublev in 3
who ya got?
Rublev playing well this week…in 2.
I will watch it as well.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
‘Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!’
Yes. And Happy New Season just around the corner
Happy Xmas everyone!!
I have tried several times to leave messages on non tennis forum for nny and Elizabeth about politics. ( go Rev Warnock!!) Also wanted to leave a message for mira. It still won’t load and the Rafa page won’t load either as I went there to comment on Roig leaving ( which I don’t think will harm him) and his getting a new coach which may well be a very good move as every time someone new has come in he has done well. Needless to say the Rafa page won’t load either so presumably the other pages also won’t load. Don’t want to complain but it is frustrating and inhibits conversation.
Happy New year lovely people including Ricky and Cheryl!!
Mira, I hope you are ok!!
See you in the New year!😀😀
Hey hey hey amy!😀👋..and hey hey hey to other Rafans & elizabeth too!..hope u guys enjoy yor biggest & happiest moment with family over there amy & Rafans!
I’m ok amy!..thanks 4 asking!..& can’t wait to c tennis down under!..esp Rafa!!..tho i gotta be honest amy!..i’m not hoping much!😀..just hope Rafa will be healthy,thats all!..oh yeah,throw some snowball to my head amy!..i feel like my head full of crap atm due to lack of tennis in the universe!😆…Take care amy!..muah!muah!muah!
Happy New year mira! Looking forward to talking with you in 2023!😀😀
Big hug!
amy,
I tried to go on the non-tennis forum to leave you a message and talk politics, but it won’t come up. Would Ricky know what is wrong? This site has never been the same since those spam posts casted it to crash.
I did want to wish you and Elizabeth and Mira Andi a very happy New Year! 🎉❤️ 🎊
Hey hey hey Nny!…how r u?Hope everythings going well in yor life Nny!esp this holiday season!..
Thank u so much for the wishes Nny!..happy new year to u too k?👋😍
We want what??…Rrrrrafa!!..#23ispossible!!..whooohooo!!..Vamos!!
Happy New year nny!!
Big hug!
Hoping Rafa gets 23 in 2023!
Merry Christmas my tennis friends 😂👍 and I hope the New Year is amazing for all.
Some pages in this website is not working something is wrong.
Happy new year and merry Christmas 🙂
Hope you are all doing well!
Hello Vamosrafa same to you.
Happy New year!
Watching the new years’ eve show from London and thinking of all the Tenngrand tennis fans (and bracket fans) 🤗😋
Peace on Earth, no more War, and may Ukraine prevail in glory!
Amen to that, Elizabeth! And a very happy New Year to you and yours and all Rafans everywhere!
Happy New year to all Tennis fans
Im just enjoying the first few matches of the new season
“…and may Ukraine prevail in glory!”
Sure they will😂
PS
Since you are halfway from your Murica to Ukraine, plus, you are nurse, why don’t you hope on the plane and help them (there are plenty of mercenaries from you country in Ukraine, this is one of two proxy wars that your Murica is waging ATM, in the other one we have thousands of children senselessly dying from starvation, but who cares, it’s only Yemen!
WB. This isn’t tennis x. You can’t come on here and harass Elizabeth with your crap. She is worth a million of you.
This isn’t the place for your fascist politics so take them elsewhere.
F#ck Trump and Putin. Slava Ukraine!
People who support Putin and Russia are exactly the same people who would have made excuses for and supported the Nazis. Stalin made a pact with Hitler to divide up Eastern Europe including Ukraine.
Happy New year everyone!
Hoping Rafa gets 23 in ’23!!
Sounds like a campaign slogan! 😀
Mira and nny. I meant to write more about Rafa. Will try later or tomorrow…
Happy New Year to all my old “friends” on Tgrand.
Hoping for peace on earth, equality and liberty too, not hoping for much, am I?
amy, my dear,
Who rattled your cage?
This is a tennis forum. All other stuff should be in off topic.
Just to be clear, I have tried to get on the non-tennis forum. I can’t access it. So I just wanted to wish my fellow tenngranders a Happy New Year!
It would be nice if we could have chess to the non-tennis forum again.
Access to the non-tennis forum!