Winston-Salem Open: Alexander Bublik vs. Emil Ruusuvuori 8/24/21 Tennis Prediction

Fifth seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan will face the unseeded Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland in the Second Round of the 2021 Winston-Salem Open in North Carolina. The match is scheduled to be played on Tuesday August 24th, 2021 at approximately 4:30pm EST.

An interesting match is upon us here at the Winston-Salem Open as Alexander Bublik meets Emil Ruusuvuori for a spot in the Round of 16. Both men have been having solid yet unspectacular seasons in 2021, and will be hoping for a strong run this week as they prepare for the US Open. Bublik is the big favorite on paper, but Ruusuvuori is a rast-rising young star on the ATP Tour and is not someone to underestimate. Can the young Finn cause the massive upset and advance to the Round of 16?

Alexander Bublik the fifth seed here at the Winston-Salem Open and is currently ranked #37 in the ATP world rankings. The Kazakh has long been considered one of the most talented players in the world, but often struggles with his focus. He has been much improved this year however, and has greatly matured as a player. He had a strong start to the season so much was expected of him heading into the hard court season, but he is yet to have any significant results. Bublik has a great opportunity here at the Winston-Salem Open, and can go deep into the draw if he is playing well. He enters this match against Emil Ruusuvuori as the big favorite but knows he will have to be at his best or he may be in for some difficulties.

Emil Ruusuvuori is unseeded here at the 2021 Winston-Salem Open, and is ranked #76 in the world. He is considered one of the most promising young players on the ATP Tour, and had some strong results earlier in the year, highlighted by a Round of 16 run at the Miami Open and Semi-Finals in Atlanta. He has a big baseline game but will be hoping for some more consistency if he is to climb up the ranks. Ruusuvuori had a strong start to his Winston-Salem Open campaign, defeating local player Dennis Kudla in straight sets in the First Round. He has a very disciplined and mature game for a player his age and will not give points away, but his opponent Alexander Bublik is one of the most explosive players on the tour so he will have to be very solid defensively to have a chance here.

This match has potential to be closer than the rankings suggest, and I do think that it won’t be a simple win for Alexander Bublik as some may suggest. However, I expect him to win the match, but it will likely take three sets or two close ones to decide it. This will be Bublik’s first match at the Winston-Salem Open while Emil Ruusuvuori already has one under his belt and will be more comfortable on the courts initially. I expect Bublik to start a bit slowly, but he will eventually acclimatize to the courts and will grind out a tough win here, advancing to the Round of 16.