Andrey Rublev vs Alexei Popyrin Prediction: Andrey Rublev is no pushover

Andrey Rublev and Alexei Popyrin are the players to qualify for the final round of the ATP Montreal tournament. Both players had faced each other twice in the past, winning 1 match each. Alexei won the most recent meeting at the ATP Monte Carlo in April this year. 

Andrey Rublev came into the final round after defeating Matteo Arnaldi in the semifinal, while Alexei Popyrin defeated Sebastian Korda. 

Andrey Rublev's journey to the final round started with a win over Tomas Etcheverry in the round of 32. Afterwards, he played against Brandon Nakashima, Jannik Sinner and finally Matteo Arnaldi in the semifinal, winning 3 of the 4 rounds in straight sets.

Andrey Rublev's match against Matteo Arnaldi ended in straight sets by a 6-4,6-2 score. And according to stats, he had the following in that match:-

SERVE: first serve 65%, first serve point 79%, second serve 94%, second serve point 61%, break points saved 100%.

RETURN: first serve return points 33%, second serve return points 50%, break points converted 3.

Alexei Popyrin is a surprise name to enter the final stage considering his ranking on the ATP table. But he's played against tough odds and came out victorious. 

Alexei Popyrin's run in the tournament started with a win over Tomas Machac in the round of 64. After that, he went on to defeat Ben Shelton, Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz and then Sebastian Korda in the semifinal.

Alexei Popyrin defeated Sebastian Korda in straight sets by a 7-6,6-3 score, and his stats in the end were:

SERVE: first serve 59%, first serve point 83%, second serve 79%, second serve point 34%, break points saved 50%.

RETURN: first serve return points 34%, second serve return points 62%, break points converted 4.

Andrey Rublev really should win this against Alexei Popyrin, likely in straights. The consistency, groundstroke power, and facility with Popyrin's serve see him at an advantage. While Popyrin has the tools to challenge, especially on serve, the overall game of Rublev is more complete and reliable.

• Audrey Rublev (-2.5) Games Handicap at 1.617 Odds
• Under 23.5 Games Total at 1.77 Odds
• Total 2 Sets at 1.61 Odds