Finals previews and predictions: Zverev vs. Bublik, Ruusuvuori vs. Sousa

Alexander Zverev and Alexander Bublik will square off in an intriguing Montpellier championship on Sunday afternoon. A more surprising title tilt in Pune pits first-time finalist Emil Ruusuvuori against Joao Sousa.

Montpellier: (1) Alexander Zverev vs. (6) Alexander Bublik

Zverev and Bublik will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for the Open Sud de France title on Sunday. Their only previous encounter came right around this time last year, when Bublik pulled off a 7-6, 6-3 upset in the Rotterdam first round. This one is also indoors, which suits Bublik perfectly since he relies heavily on his serve and likes playing quick points. So far this week the 35th-ranked Kazakh has disposed of Tallon Griekspoor, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Filip Krajinovic.

Of course, an indoor setting is also just fine for Zverev. The 24-year-old German has won seven of his 19 career titles on this surface, including two at the Nitto ATP Finals (2018, 2021). Zverev is through to the 29th final of his career thanks to straight-set defeats of Mackenzie McDonald, Adrian Mannarino, and Mikael Ymer. The world No. 3 has dropped a grand total of five games in his last four sets. Bublik’s big-hitting game will surely make this one more competitive, but Zverev is playing too well right now and his history of success in finals is impressive.

Pick: Zverev in 2

Pune: Joao Sousa vs. (6) Emil Ruusuvuori

Sousa has fallen upon extremely hard times in recent seasons, so it is understandable that he was emotional after reaching his first ATP final since 2018. The 32-year-old from Portugal did so on Saturday by saving three match points and outlasting Elias Ymer 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-5 in the semifinals of the Tata Open Maharashtra. Sousa, who has plummeted to 137th in the rankings, preceded that result with victories over Arjun Kadhe, Gianluca Mager, and Daniel Altmaier. Only his defeat of Altmaier was in straight sets.

Up next for Sousa in Sunday’s final is Ruusuvuori, who is at the opposite end of the career spectrum. The 22-year-old Finn will exceed his career-high ranking of No. 66 in the world if he triumphs in his first-ever ATP final appearance. And he should. Ruusuvuori has been the best player all week long in Pune, erasing Egor Gerasimov, Vit Kopriva, Jiri Vesely, and Kamil Majchrzak in straight sets. With Sousa coming off a three-hour and 13-minute struggle on the heels of two other three-setters, Ruusuvuori has every reason to continue his dominance.

Pick: Ruusuvuori in 2