Andrey Rublev and Diego Schwartzman will be squaring off for the second time in exactly one week when they clash in the San Diego Open quarterfinals on Friday. They just faced each other last Friday at the Laver Cup, where Rublev prevailed 11-9 in a super-tiebreaker for the third set.
Their only other meeting also resulted in a thriller, with Schwartzman outlasting Rublev 0-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(3), 9-7 in the first round of the 2017 French Open.
Close to clinching a return trip to the Nitto ATP Finals, Rublev has enjoyed a relaxing week so far in San Diego. The top-seeded Russian earned a first-round bye and then erased local favorite Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-1 on Wednesday.
Schwartman opened with a 6-2, 6-3 rout of qualifier Federico Gaio but then ran into trouble against an in-form Lloyd Harris. The 15th-ranked Argentine trailed by a set and a break only to storm back for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory–in part because Harris was hobbled by an apparent foot issue.
“I think I was playing a good match but he was serving very well, so I didn’t have any opportunity to break him,” Schwartzman reflected. :In the second set I was just trying to stay in the match. I had that opportunity to come back and break his serve.
“I know when I break the serve of my opponent I get a lot of confidence and the opponent loses a bit of patience on the court, so at the end you always have to be there waiting for the chance. I did that and I think that’s why I won today.”
It certainly wasn’t easy, and things only get tougher against Rublev. The world No. 5 is 44-15 this season and went 3-0 at Laver Cup combined in singles and doubles. The Monte-Carlo and Cincinnati runner-up was in absolutely ruthless form against Nakashima and Schwartzman is another opponent whom Rublev can hit off the court with his power.
Pick: Rublev in 2
WWW?
Rublev too tough…in two.