The Bank of China ATP Hong Kong Tennis Open is being played for the first time since 2002. Through six days, we have seen some phenomenal tennis from some of the best players in the sport. No. 1 seed Andrey Rublev will meet Emil Ruusuvuori in the final on Sunday. But who will emerge victorious?
ATP Hong Kong Final Prediction
Andrey Rublev vs. Emil Ruusuvuori
Head-to-Head: Rublev 2-1 Ruusuvuori
Andrey Rublev had another incredibly strong season in 2023, finishing the year ranked as the No. 5 player in the world. That said, he lost his last four matches of the year and needed some tune-up matches ahead of the Australian Open. The 26-year-old Russian has looked shaky at ATP Hong Kong but was able to raise his level when he needed to in three-set victories over Arthur Fils and Juncheng Shang.
On the other side of the net, 24-year-old Emil Ruusuvuori is into just his second career ATP Final (Pune 2022). The Fin has beaten Benjamin Bonzi, Karen Khachanov, Pavel Kotov, and Sebastian Ofner to reach the ATP Hong Kong final. Three of those matches went the distance, but like Rublev, Ruusuvuori has been able to raise his level when it matters most.
Rublev holds the 2-1 head-to-head advantage, but Ruusuvuori won their most recent encounter five months ago in Cincinnati. When Ruusuvuori strikes the ball well, he can hang in baseline rallies with the Russian. He does not make a lot of errors and is adept at slowly moving his opponent deep into the court.
I expect the young Fin to come out with a strong first punch, but I have a hard time seeing him sustain a high enough level to beat the No. 5 player in the world. Ruusuvuori has spent over three more hours on-court this week than Rublev. His legs will feel heavy as the No. 1 seed blasts forehands around the court.
Prediction: Rublev in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
