Andrey Rublev will look to continue his 2020 win streak as he takes on Japan’s Yuichi Sugita at the Australian Open on Thursday. Fernando Verdasco will also be in second-round action against Nikoloz Basilashvili.
(17) Andrey Rublev vs. Yuichi Sugita
Andrey Rublev might just be THE in-form player of 2020 so far. Granted, the season is only a few weeks along–but Rublev comes into Melbourne with two titles in the first two tournaments. So while the young Russian sits at a career high No. 16, current level suggests that his ranking is actually deceptively low.
If the seeding holds up, No. 7 seed Alexander Zverev is going to run headlong into Rublev and his fierce form in the round of 16. First though, the 17th seed needs to get past Japan’s Yuichi Sugita, who defeated qualifier Eliott Benchetrit in the first round.
Sugita spent much of 2019 on the Challenger circuit. He played just seven tour-level matches for the year. He won 3 of them, all in Stockholm last fall. This will be the first meeting between Sugita and Rublev.
Fatigue may well be a factor for Rublev as the fortnight wears on, but not in the second round and not against Sugita.
Cheryl pick: Rublev in 3
Ricky pick: Rublev in 3
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Fernando Verdasco vs. (26) Nikoloz Basilashvili
No. 26 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili played three matches coming into Melbourne at the ATP Cup. He lost two of them and won the third against Pablo Cuevas. Basilashvili has a rankings edge over Fernando Verdasco, but the two men played in Vienna a couple of months ago and Verdasco snagged the three-set win.
Verdasco is ranked No. 51 in the world. The Spanish veteran turned pro way back in 2001. He started 2020 with a quarterfinal showing in Doha and a first round win this week over Evgeny Donskoy. Verdasco hasn’t performed particularly well in Melbourne recently, but he is a former semifinalist in Oz (2009).
Verdasco is a dangerous opponent for Basilashvili. He’s capable of playing well above his ranking and he has a recent win over the Georgian. Basilashvili should still pull it out, but it could be a treat of a match.
Cheryl pick: Basilashvili in 4
Ricky pick: Verdasco in 4
[crowdsignal poll=10494488]
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