After two very routine semifinals with both Alexander Zverev and Alexander Bublik dismissing their respective opponents, it’s only fitting the two best players of the week now meet in the showcase event on Sunday at the ATP Montpellier Open. As always, we here at LWOT are offering our preview and prediction of the final. But who will lift the title?
ATP Montpellier Final Prediction
Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Bublik
Head-to-head: Bublik 1-0 Zverev
In Zverev’s three matches so far at the ATP Montpellier Open, he’s just dropped over four games in a set once, that’s how convincing he’s been en route to the final. He’s also been in generally excellent form since last year’s Olympics, at least in best-of-three events. The world #3 has won Olympic gold and picked up titles in Cincinnati, Vienna and Turin. Whilst it all hasn’t clicked in the Grand Slams, there’s a serious case for the German being the best player in the events outside of them.
So on paper it looks like Zverev will easily win the title, but here’s where it gets a little interesting. In their only encounter, which came Rotterdam last year, the man from Kazakhstan got the win, and in straight sets. Either side of that result, Zverev made the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and then won Acapulco just a few weeks after in his next event. Still, it’s hard to see the same thing happening here, especially since Bublik has struggled against Pierre-Hugues Herbert early on in the event as well as Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarterfinals where he required a final set tiebreak to get the better of the Spaniard. It’s clear to see how different the routes to the final has been for both players.
There is something that Bublik may use to his advantage though and that’s his style of play, when Zverev is playing well he’s almost unplayable. The best way of getting to the German is rushing him and putting him on the backfoot right away with big serving and huge tennis off the ground, something Bublik on a good day can no doubt too. Ultimately, the lower-ranked man will need to play his very best tennis and hope his opponent doesn’t play at the level he has so far this event. But that doesn’t look likely.
Prediction: Zverev in 2
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
