After two very routine semifinals with both Alexander Zverev and Alexander Bublik dismissing their respective opponents, it\u2019s 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?<\/p>\n
Head-to-head: <\/strong>Bublik 1-0 Zverev<\/p>\n In Zverev’s three matches so far at the ATP Montpellier Open, he\u2019s just dropped over four games in a set once, that\u2019s how convincing he\u2019s been en route to the final. He’s also been in generally excellent form since last year\u2019s 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\u2019t clicked in the Grand Slams, there\u2019s a serious case for the German being the best player in the events outside of them.<\/p>\n So on paper it looks like Zverev will easily win the title, but here\u2019s 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, i<\/span>t\u2019s 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\u2019s clear to see how different the routes to the final has been for both players.<\/p>\n There is something that Bublik may use to his advantage though and that\u2019s his style of play, when Zverev is playing well he\u2019s 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. \u00a0<\/span>Ultimately, the lower-ranked man will need to play his very best tennis and hope his opponent doesn\u2019t play at the level he has so far this event. But that doesn’t look likely.<\/p>\n Prediction: Zverev in 2<\/em><\/p>\n Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>