Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev will be in night action as competition in the Green Group gets underway in Turin on Monday.
It’s the Green Group’s turn to take a spin on the Turin “skating rink”–courts Daniil Medvedev claimed are “probably the fastest I have ever faced on the ATP Tour” following his first round-robin match win on Sunday. They are so fast, in fact, that they not only favor more offensive players but they also promise to work directly against players who rely on foot speed and defensive tennis.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev have games that translate well to most court surfaces. Tsitsipas, the world No. 4, made his first major final at Roland Garros this year, and while Rublev has had some notable misses at Slams since he burst on the scene in 2020, he has enjoyed success on hard courts, clay, and grass. Generally all of that would suggest a popcorn-worthy encounter.
Unfortunately, both players are in questionable form right now. There is some noise surrounding Tsitispas thanks to a vocal and public feud with Andy Murray over the extended length of the Greek’s bathroom breaks. Tsitispas crashed out of the U.S Open in the third round; his results have been unpredictable since.
Rublev’s dip in form has lasted even longer. The Russian made the final in Cincinnati, but he has barely managed to string together more than one win at at time since then. His most recent result was a second-round loss to Taylor Fritz at the Paris Masters.
Monday’s result will largely hinge on which player is able to better execute a “strike first” strategy. The court speed will not allow extended rallies nor the wearing down of one’s opponent. Under normal circumstances, Rublev’s vicious forehand would give him the edge–but the Russian isn’t playing with precision at the moment.
Cheryl pick: Tsitsipas in 3
Ricky pick: Rublev in 3
WWW?
Rublev will have that tenacious “A” game…in 2.