Facundo Cerundolo vs Andrey Rublev Prediction: Can the Argentine Continue His Winning Streak Over Rublev?

Francisco Cerundolo and Andrey Rublev are all set to lock horns in the Paris Masters Round of 32 with some mean fighting on the indoor hard courts in one of the most prestigious tournaments organized by ATP. After all, because of their head-to-head history, this will be quite a high-stakes match, as Cerundolo leads surprisingly 2-1, including a recent 2-0 victory in Umag. This is a highly important match, above all for Rublev, currently at No. 7 in the world, who has the desire to earn some important points that will confirm his position in the ATP Race to Turin.

Coming into the contest, 29-ranked Cerundolo is on the back of a decent 6-4 record in his last 10 outings. The resilience and maturity in his game have gotten more polished with each passing match; just the other day, he won in straight sets against Quentin Halys.

The recent success of the Argentine against Rublev derived from his heavy topspin forehand and intelligent positioning on the court, facets that tend to take Rublev out of his rhythm on quick courts. I would expect Cerundolo to make the most out of Rublev's backhand and just test its consistency. His game plan might very well revolve around high-margin shots, pulling Rublev laterally so as to expose any lapses in the Russian's defending game

World No. 7 Rublev has been inconsistent lately, splitting his last ten matches at 5-5 after a close defeat against Ben Shelton in his last outing. The Russian will try to reset his game to match the strong momentum of Cerundolo.

That will be rubbing off from the powerful baseline game of Rublev. Strong, aggressive first serves and powerful forehands are his strength, and he will need to deploy them powerfully to negate the tactics of Cerundolo. He could do well to take time away from Cerundolo early in points, mixing in net approaches now and then to keep the Argentine guessing.

This could, however, be another close encounter given Cerundolo's form and the recent head-to-head results, but the experience and adjustment of Rublev on the quicker courts gives him a slight advantage. For that to happen, Rublev will have to ensure his first-serve percentage remains inch-perfect and unforced errors are kept at bay because Cerundolo has shown earlier he does not let such chances go begging.

That makes this match likely to go over the standard game total line with both players capable of extending rallies and breaking each other- a closely contested match. But with Rublev's tendency for extended matches and fighting spirit of Cerundolo, 22-24 games seem probable.

Historically, Rublev has been a strong starter, often taking early leads. If he brings this same level of focus to start, he should edge the first set. Cerundolo may take some time to adjust to Rublev's pace, which might give the Russian the first set.

• Over 20.5 Games @ 1.60 Odds
• Andrey Rublev to Win First Set & Match @ 1.63 Odds
• Andrey Rublev Wins 2-1 @ 3.50 Odds