Andy Murray is set to face seventh seed Alexander Bublik in the Round of 16 at the Stuttgart Open
Andy Murray defeated Australia’s Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 6-3 in the first round to set up a clash against Bublik. Murray is coming into the event at the back of a semi-final loss in the Surbiton Trophy last week. The 35-year-old didn’t play at the French Open but has been a regular part of the ATP tour this year. His best performance so far this year came at the Sydney International, where he finished as runners-up.
Murray kicked off his grass-court season at the Surbiton Trophy, a Challenger event. After straight-sets wins over Jurij Rodionov, Gijs Brouwer and Brandon Nakashima, he lost to Denis Kudla in three sets in the semifinals. He has come to Stuttgart with some much needed positive momentum.
Alexander Bublik made a winning start to his campaign in Stuttgart in both singles and doubles. He teamed up with Nick Kyrgios to defeat Philipp Oswald and Hans Hach 6-2, 6-4 in the first round on Monday.
In the singles’ event, Bublik took on Denis Kudla, who reached the final of a Challenger event on grass last week. The World No.42 won the match in straight sets 7-6, 7-5. Bublik is seeded 7th in the tournament and has certainly got the potential to go all the way in Stuttgart.
Bublik’s best performance so far this season came earlier this year in February, when he won Open Sud de France event. He defeated World No 3, Alexander Zverev in the final.
| Date | Thursday, 9th June |
| Court type | Outdoor grass court |
| Watch | Tennis TV |
| Start time | To be announced |
| Venue | Tennis Club Weissenhof |
| Match details | Round of 16 match |
Head to head and Predictions
Murray and Bublik have faced each other thrice before on the ATP tour. Their last meeting came earlier this year at the Indian Wells Masters. On that occasion, Bublik won 7-6, 6-3, but it’s Murray who leads 2-1 overall on head to head. It’s tough to separate the two but based on form, we are predicting a win for Alexander Bublik.
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