2021 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament Round of 16 – Andy Murray vs Andrey Rublev Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
Where is Andy Murray vs Andrey Rublev taking place? Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands
When is Andy Murray vs Andrey Rublev on and what time does it start? Wednesday 3rd March, 2021 – not before 18:30 (UK)
What surface is Andy Murray vs Andrey Rublev being played on? Hard (indoor)
Where can I get tickets for Andy Murray vs Andrey Rublev? No tickets are available as this event will be held behind closed doors
What channel is Andy Murray vs Andrey Rublev on? This match will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Andy Murray vs Andrey Rublev? Amazon Prime subscribers can stream the match live via their platform
THE PREDICTION
World number 123 Andy Murray won his first match back on tour in 2021 after a delayed start to his season due to contracting coronavirus. That forced him to miss out the Australian Open and there was a fatigue to the former world number one in his match at the Montpellier open last week, where he lost To Egor Gaerasimov in straight sets, but his first round match against Robin Haase here on Monday night was a wholly more convincing one. It took the 33-year-old over an hour to get into a groove and work out his opponent, with Haase performing well beyond his current ranking to speed to a second set but Murray turned it on in the second-set tiebreak and won the final six games of the third to power through. A win on tour will do Murray wonders as he can feel justified by his wildcards at these events right now, though he faces one of the toughest tests on tour in Andrey Rublev. The world number eight was pushed by Marcos Giron in the first round here in Rotterdam but ultimately came through in straight sets and it is difficult to imagine a different result in this match-up. Murray will savour the challenge but it has taken top 10 players to beat Rublev in recent months and, whilst it remains to be seen which heights he can reach, he has plenty of conditioning to do over the next few months. Murray beat Rublev in their only previous meeting four years ago but the 23-year-old could end this season as high as world number five or four in his current state and that should see him come through in two here.
