Fourth-seeded Andrey Rublev will look to dispatch unseeded, but dangerous Sebastian Korda when they two square off in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Miami Open on Thursday evening. The blossoming Rublev is playing well to start the 2021 season after winning more titles than any other ATP performer a year ago.
Sebastian Korda, the son of 1998 Australian Open winner Petr Korda, is a dangerous young player with unlimited potential. The young American will look to dispatch his fourth straight seeded opponent in South Beach. Rublev is the ATP Odds favorite but again, Korda is dangerous.
Sebastian Korda vs. No. 4 Andrey Rublev
When: Thursday, April 1, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. ET
ATP Odds
Sebastian Korda +320
Andrey Rublev -400
Total: 22
Korda Blossoming Before Our Eyes
Sebastian Korda is up to No. 87 in the ATP World Tour rankings. The 20-year-old has looked fantastic in Miami. The young American beat Radu Albot senseless in his opener 6-3, 6-0 on March 25 before getting past No. 10 seed Fabio Fognini in three sets in the round of 64 two days later.
The lefty then dispatched red-hot No. 17 seed Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-0 in the round of 32 before ousting my guy, No. 5 seed Diego Schwartzman in a three-st thriller on Tuesday that ended with a 7-5 final set. Now, Korda, 6-3 on the year prior to Miami, is looking to fry an even bigger fish by dispatching the blossoming Rublev.
“I think it will be a lot of fun,” Korda said of the showdown. “We are both big hitters, and he’s having a great season and a great whole year pretty much. He’s probably the hottest player on tour right now, and it’s going to be another cool opportunity for me and another cool experience to play such a player like him.”
Rublev Looks Like Future Slam Winner
Eighth in the ATP World Tour rankings, Andrey Rublev has the look of a future grand slam winner. The 23-year-old Russian dispatched Tennys Sandgren 6-1, 6-2 in his opener on Saturday before bouncing No. 29 seed Marton Fucsovics 6-2, 6-1 in the round of 32 on Monday. Rublev then got past 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals. Rublev is a blistering 16-3 on the year while winning the title in Rotterdam last month.
Medvedev To Scratch Out Hard-Fought Win
I’m seriously impressed with Sebastian Korda this event, but the fact of the matter is that Andrey Rublev presents a much stiffer challenge to any he’s faced thus far in South Beach.
Rublev might be the slightly shorter player as he stands 6’2” to Korda’s 6’5”, but you’d never know it the way the Russian blasts the ball through the court.
Rublev is the slightly bigger hitter and definitely the more experienced player in this affair. While these two young players have never met, I’ve got to believe Rublev is going to win and advance against this far less experienced opponent.
I will say that this matchup looks like a three-setter just waiting to happen, so the Over 21½ games look like a great bet here. Rublev wins to advance to the semifinals, but this one should be a bit of a dog-fight. Get odds on this match, the rest of the ATP Miami Open and countless other events at the BetUS sportsbook now!
