Borna Coric vs Andrey Rublev - ATP 1000 - Shanghai Masters - Round of 64 - Preview and Prediction

Shanghai throws up an interesting clash of Next-Gen players as World number 15, Borna Coric, locks horns with World number 33, Andrey Rublev, today.

The Croatian, Coric, has been in good touch of late. He reached the finals in the ATP 250- St.Petersburg Open before losing to the red-hot Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. The 12th seed fought hard in a titanic tussle in the Zhuhai Open quarter-finals before losing to eventual champion, Alex De Minaur, in three sets. A blip in form was observed as wildcard, Taro Daniel, edged past him 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5) in the round of 32 at the Japan Open.

Last year, Coric was playing some scintillating tennis in Shanghai, toppling Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4. But, Novak Djokovic was too good for him in the semifinals, as Coric lost 6-3, n 6-4 in the finals.

It was a great show by the Croatian as he not only finished as the runner-up but also defeated grand slam champions such as Stan Wawrinka, and Juan Martin Del Potro.

On the other hand, Rublev has gone on from strength to strength this year. He reached the quarterfinals in the recently concluded St.Petersburg Open. He crashed out in the pre-quarterfinals losing 6-3, 6-4 to Fabio Fognini in the China Open.

The Russian compensated for that dismal performance in singles by partnering with compatriot Karen Khachanov in doubles. The pair won some terrific thrillers as they reached the semifinals before losing 7-5, 7-5 to second seeds Lukas Kubot and Marcelo Melo.

Rublev made his name on the big stage as he stunned Federer 6-3, 6-4 in just 62 minutes in the pre-quarterfinals of the ATP 1000- Cincinnati Masters. Rublev who had beaten Wawrinka earlier got thrashed by fellow Russian Medvedev, 6-2, 6-3, in the quarter-finals.

Key Insights

• 22-year old Coric and 21-year old Rublev are two great hard-court players known for their court coverage
• Rublev has an advantage in head to head record as he leads it with two wins and one loss
• Both Coric and Rublev have defeated the 20-time grand slam champion, Federer, at least once in their career
• Rublev  is playing well after recovering from a back injury while Coric will be under pressure to defend points which he earned last year by reaching the finals.

The fans can expect an entertaining encounter as Coric and Rublev would look to engage in long rallies. Both Rublev and Coric will look to rely on their rock-solid defence.

Prediction - Borna Coric to win in three sets

Cover Image Credits - oddspedia.com