After missing the first round, Rublev faced Facundo Banis in the second round. The Russian easily won the first set, losing only one game. Bagnis played better in the second set, but it wasn’t enough to stop Rublev, who made the decisive break in the seventh game to win 6-1, 6-4. It was his first victory of the season on clay, ending a four-match losing streak.
Meanwhile, Davidovich Fokina played against Shang Juncheng in the second round. The Spaniard lost the lead twice in the first set, with the opponent immediately making a reverse break. However, Davidovich Fokina coped with his task by taking Shan’s serve in the final game of the set. In this case, the Chinese would no longer be able to reconquer. The Spaniard faced some resistance in the second set, but ultimately prevailed 7-5, 6-3.
In personal meetings, Rublev defeats Davidovich Fokina with a score of 3-0. He won their previous match at last year’s Italian Open in straight sets.
Predictions for the match between Andrei Rublev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokin
Rublev finally returned to winning ways with a successful start in Madrid. He played at a fairly high level and scored 24 winners with 10 unforced errors. Davidovich Fokina struggled at times against Shang in the previous match, but still defeated his younger opponent and advanced.
The Spaniard scored 21 winners with 15 unforced errors.
None of the tennis players showed good results in Madrid, they have only seven victories in this tournament. The 2022 quarterfinals were Rublev’s best result and Davidovich Fokina reached the fourth round last year.
Rublev will be quite confident in his chances against Davidovich Fokina. He had won his three previous matches, including two on clay. If the difficult period is really over, the Russians should have no problems.
Forecast: Andrey Rublev will win in straight sets.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev/Athletistic
Source: Sport

I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.