Athletistic/Football. Fifth seed Andrey Rublev begins his quest for the Shanghai Masters title against unseeded Frenchman Quentin Ghaly.

World number seven Rublev is enjoying another successful season, winning 45 of 65 matches. After reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and Doha, the 25-year-old reached the final in Dubai.

After finishing the fourth round in Indian Wells and Miami, Rublev won his first Masters 1000 title in Monte Carlo. He then reached the finals in Banja Luka and Halle as well as the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.

Rublev won his second title of the season in Bastad before reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open. However, he was defeated at the Laver Cup in Vancouver and has a 3-3 record in Shanghai.

Meanwhile, ATP No. 76 Gali beat Aslan Karatsev in the opening match to move to 15-16 in 2023.

After winning the first set on tiebreak, Gali won only three games in the second and Karatsev restored parity. However, the Frenchman quickly regained control of the deciding set, losing only two games and making his Shanghai debut with a victory.

The 26-year-old reached the quarter-finals in Auckland and Hamburg earlier this year before making the quarter-finals in Estoril. He won the Blois Challenger in June, then ended his three-game tournament losing streak with a victory over Karatsev.

This is the tennis players’ first meeting, they have never played before.

Rublev and Gali are both typical back row players, but Rublev is the stronger server and is much better on offense.

Additionally, the Russian benefits from his superior consistency, experience and good alignment, especially on hard court, where he has a 195-110 record and nine titles. Gali, on the other hand, is only 15-34 years old on this surface and has yet to win a single title.

Although Gali won in the first round, he won’t be able to do anything against an opponent like Rublev, who is one of the most stable players on the ATP tour.

Forecast: Rublev to win in straight sets


@sportru