After an intriguing week of tennis at the season-opening Qatar Open in Doha, just two men remain in contention for the title. But will it be Russia\u2019s Andrey Rublev, who enjoyed an impressive late season surge in 2019 that took him into the world\u2019s top 25, or first-time finalist Corentin Moutet, who claims the title?<\/p>\n
Head-to-head: <\/strong>first meeting<\/p>\n Rublev, who is seeded second at the Qatar Open, did not join his countrymen Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov at the ATP Cup in Australia, despite playing an important role in Russia\u2019s run to the last four at the Davis Cup Finals in Madrid. However, he has looked sharp enough in Doha to suggest that he would have been a useful addition to the Russian team, who are set to face Serbia for a place in the final in Sydney.<\/p>\n He opened his campaign, after a first-round bye, with a comprehensive victory over Kazakhstan\u2019s Mikhail Kukushkin to reach the quarterfinals. There, he dismissed Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert, 6-3 6-4, to set up a semifinal clash with Serbia\u2019s Miomir Kecmanovic. He was again in control throughout, restricting his opponent to just four games in a 6-3 6-1 win. But he may need to be at his best up against Moutet.<\/p>\n The Frenchman has played some fine tennis this week to reach the first tour-level final of his career. He started his week in the qualifying, beating Andrej Martin of Slovakia and Australia\u2019s Alexei Popyrin without dropping a set to reach the main draw. He backed that up by edging out Tennys Sandgren, 7-6 6-4, and fourth seed Milos Raonic, 7-6 7-6, to reach the last eight. There he battled past Fernando Verdasco 6-4 4-6 6-4, before rallying to a 3-6 7-5 6-3 win over Stan Wawrinka, which must surely rank as one of the finest of his career.<\/p>\n But he looks set for a difficult day when he takes on Rublev. The Russian, at his best, is almost unplayable thanks to his flat, penetrating groundstrokes. His forehand is a particularly effective weapon and he will surely be looking to use that shot to dictate proceedings against Moutet. The Frenchman possesses a useful forehand of his own, although it is perhaps more effective on clay, and moves well. But he cannot match Rublev\u2019s weaponry and will have to guard against nerves. Expect the second seed to prove too strong.<\/p>\n Prediction: Rublev in 2<\/em><\/p>\n Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>