The Russian crowd will have the chance to support one of their own in Sunday’s final when Andrey Rublev steps out onto court to take on Adrian Mannarino of France. But who will come out on top in the Kremlin Cup final?
Kremlin Cup Final Prediction
Andrey Rublev vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-head: first meeting
Although both Rublev and Mannarino had looked like they were set to face long and testing semifinal tests, neither was unduly troubled by his opponent in the last four. Rublev delivered a solid display against former-top ten stalwart and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic. He served very impressively and, crucially, was repeatedly able to put the Croatian’s serve under pressure repeatedly. He was particularly effective against Cilic’s second serve, winning over 60% of the points when Cilic missed his first delivery. As a result, he was able to score a reasonably straightforward 7-5 6-4 win.
Mannarino was even more comfortable against the Italian Andreas Seppi, winning 6-3 6-4. The Frenchman didn’t face a breakpoint and won a superb 77% of his second serve points, an area in which Seppi would have been looking to target. That win saw Mannarino continue his excellent run of form at the Kremlin Cup. The Frenchman is yet to drop a set in the Russian capital and will surely be full of confidence heading into the final.
This will be the first meeting between this pair and it should present an entertaining clash of styles. Of the two, Rublev has had the more difficult path through to the final, but he should be match-tough as a result. Neither man has a particularly impressive record in finals, something both will surely be desperate to change. Rublev has not won on tour since lifting the title in Umag and lost earlier this year to Nikoloz Basilashvili in Hamburg. Mannarino meanwhile, has won just one of the five tour-level finals he has played.
On paper, there is little to separate this pair. Although Rublev can summon significantly more power off the ground, he can struggle to rein it in with accuracy. Mannarino, meanwhile, will give little away from the baseline and covers the court well. But the conditions at the Kremlin Cup do seem to favour first-strike tennis and Rublev will be able to rely on the backing of the crowd. That should be enough to carry him over the line in this one.
Prediction: Rublev in 3
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