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Pablo Andujar will take on Alexander Bublik on Saturday in the third round at the US Open.
Andujar had an excellent year so far on clay courts, winning three challenger tournaments and also playing well on the ATP tour after Wimbledon, with a semifinal in Gstaad and a quarterfinal in Kitzbuhel. He only played one hard court tournament prior to the US Open, making a good account of himself last week in Winston Salem – beating Jarry, losing a tight three setter with Lopez. But even with his good form, Andujar was not expected to be at such a high level this week in Flushing Meadows, as the Spaniard defeated Edmund 3-2 and then anihilated Sonego 3-0 in the second round.
Bublik started the US Summer swing well with a final on grass at Newport, but did not do anything of note on hard courts, losing 5 of the 6 matches he played before the US Open – the last three of them despite being a pretty heavy favorite. Bublik`s five set win in the opening round here at Flushing Meadows against Giraldo was not exactly the stuff of legends, and he seemed down and out in the second round against Fabbiano. However, Bublik managed to pull off an impressive comeback from 0-2 in sets against the guy who played so well to beat Thiem in the previous round.
Bet on Andujar v Bublik and claim a 100% (100 Eur) welcome bonus at 1XBet now!This will be the first meeting between Andujar and Bublik. The hard court surface definitely works in Bublik’s favor, as he`s a natural on it, while Andujar is a clay courter. However, the courts are slow this year and the ball bounces high, so that helps Andujar. The way he played so far this week, clearly the Spaniard feels great on the surface even if hard courts are not usually his thing.
For Bublik to come back from 0-2 in the second round against Fabbiano was pretty special, and Bublik showed an improvement in his game – although Fabbiano’s level dipped and he was not the same player he was in the first round against Thiem. But how much emphasys can you put on that considering that aside from those three sets, Bublik has not played that well at all recently?
You have to feel that Andujar is playing at a higher level right now. He was really good in both of his matches here and was solid as a rock in his second round demolision of Sonego. He`s clearly confident, focused and in the zone.
I expect Andujar’s intensity, relentlessness and consistency to prove a bit too much for the inconsistent Bublik. We know that a warrior like Andujar will not give an inch, so if the match goes the distance, Bublik could also start to feel the two five setters he already played this week.
My tip will be Andujar to win. I could probably go as high as 8 units on this, but to be honest I will be more cautious with the stakes because I`d rather preserve my positive balance for August in case of a loss – low as it may be. Prediction: Pablo Andujar – Alexander Bublik 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-4.
Pick: Andujar
Odds: 1.73 @ Unibet
Stake: 5
Possible profit: 3.65
Event date: 31 August
