Andrey Rublev will meet Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Third Round of the 2023 Italian Open. The match will be played on Monday, May 15th, 2023.
World number six Andrey Rublev is one of the favorites for the title here in Rome, especially after capturing his maiden Masters-1000 title on the clay in Monte-Carlo. The Russian has been in scintillating form this season, with a 11-2 record on clay leading up to Roland Garros. He continued his fine form with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Alex Molcan in the Second Round, dominating the match with his serve and trademark aggressive groundstrokes. He is faced with a very tough challenge here in the form of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and despite being the favorite will have to be at his best against the dangerous Spaniard.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is ranked 34th in the world and is the 27th seed here at the 2023 Italian Open. The Spaniard is a very dangerous player on all surfaces, and is definitely someone that his opponent Andrey Rublev cannot underestimate. Like Rublev, he cruised through his first match with little difficulty, winning 7-6, 6-0 over Guido Pella. His versatility and unpredictability make him very hard to play against, and if he is fully locked in he is more than capable of causing the upset.
While Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is capable of winning here, I think that it is quite unlikely. Andrey Rublev has been one of the standout players this season, especially on clay and he is just too consistent to lose so early here at the 2023 Italian Open. It’ll be very tough, and Fokina will push him to the limit, but back the top 10 player to come away with the win. If you’re feeling brave, the straight sets market isn’t a bad shout to increase profitability.