ATP Cup: Andrey Rublev (Team Russia) vs Jan-Lennard Struff (Team Germany) Tennis Prediction

Team Russia and Team Germany will face off in what is sure to be a hugely entertaining ATP Cup 2021 Semi-Final. Both teams were very impressive throughout the Round Robin stage and fully deserve to be here. The first match of the tie, #2 singles sees Jan-Lennard Struff of Team Germany facing Andrey Rublev of Team Russia. They have played three times before in the past with Struff leading the head to head series by 2 matches to 1. The match will take place on Friday February 5th, 2021 at 7:00pm EST. Who will win here and give their team a leg up in their pursuit of the Final?

Andrey Rublev had a phenomenal 2020 season, winning multiple titles and breaking into the top 10 for the first time. He is now considered one of the top players in the world and is a dark horse candidate for the Australian Open title. He has a relentless baseline game, putting extreme pressure on opponents with his big groundstrokes. He has been in great form here so far in Melbourne, defeating Guido Pella and Yoshitio Nishioka in straight sets. He enters this match as the huge favorite and Team Russia will be very confident in taking the lead here. 

Jan-Lennard Struff is currently ranked #37 and is a very capable baseline player also. Relying on a huge serve and groundstrokes, when he is striking the ball well he can be very dangerous. That being said, he has not had much success in recent years and will hoping to get the big win here to kick start his 2021 campaign. He has been in decent form so far here, defeating Milos Raonic and Dusan Lajovic, both in straight sets. He was also instrumental in the deciding doubles yesterday, knocking the Serbians out along with partner Alexander Zverev. He enters this match as the under dog but is certainly capable of causing some issues here. 

Though Struff is a good player, there should be only one outcome here. Rublev was one of the best players in the world last season and seems to be continuing 2021 in the same vein. He has a bigger game than the German, and is also more consistent. It would be a shock if he lost here. Andrey Rublev to win.