Alexander Bublik has finally reached the third round of the Australian Open for the first time in his career, and he has fully deserved it: He is in outstanding form and has not dropped a single set at the tournament. On his way to the last 16 he now faces Tomás Martín Etcheverry, an opponent whom Bublik has already beaten on clay. On outdoor hard courts, where he has more advantages, Etcheverry’s chances look even lower.
Alexander Bublik
Alexander Bublik is going through the best spell of his career. Whereas previously he relied almost exclusively on his serve, he is now playing a much more balanced game. In January, the Kazakhstani won the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, beating Lorenzo Musetti in the final (7:6, 6:3). At the start of the Australian Open he convincingly saw off Jenson Brooksby (6:4, 6:4, 6:4) and Márton Fucsovics (7:5, 6:4, 7:5), hitting 25 aces in the process.
Tomás Martín Etcheverry
Tomás Martín Etcheverry, by contrast, is uncomfortable on hard courts. This is not his preferred surface: over his career he has a 52–52 record on outdoor hard courts, including qualifying and Challenger events. He is a typical clay-court specialist who prefers long rallies and a high bounce. In Melbourne he came through a five-set battle against Miomir Kecmanović and then narrowly defeated Arthur Fery. Against top-10 opponents the Argentinian consistently struggles: he has 17 defeats in 17 matches.
Alexander Bublik vs Tomás Martín Etcheverry Prediction
On hard courts Alexander Bublik is clearly superior. His aggression, variety on serve and reliability in rallies should quickly make the difference, and we expect him to confirm his status as the clear favourite here.
