Basel Open 2022: Andy Murray vs Roman Safiullin – Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

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2 years ago

The 3-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray locks horns with Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin in the round of 32 of the Basel Open on Tuesday.

Andy Murray of Britain reacts after defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia in their first-round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)

Andy Murray

The 35-year-old has won 24 matches and lost 16 so far this season. He has made it to a couple of finals in 2022. However, on both occasions, he couldn’t grab the title. The first instance came in Sydney where he lost to Aslan karatsev in straight sets. At the Stuttgart Open, the experienced campaigner once again made it to the finals but lost to Matteo Berrettini.

The British veteran is coming into the tournament on the back of a run to the quarter-finals of the Gijon Open. He defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets in the first round and Pedro Cachin in three sets in the second round. His run was eventually ended by an in-form Sebastian Korda.

Roman Safiullin

The Russian tennis pro will remember this year for his two ATP 250 semi-final runs. Well, if he can have a good run in the Basel Open, it can add up as well. He reached the semifinals at the Open 13 in Marseille. He defeated the talented Stefanos Tsitsipas during the campaign. His other semi-final appearance came at the Tel Aviv Open. He lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Roman Safiullin (ATP Tour – Twitter)

Safiullin had to make his way into the main draw of the Basel Open after winning a couple of qualifiers. In the first match, he defeated Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets 7-5, 6-1. The second qualifier saw Safiullin get the better of Jaume Munar in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.