Tennis

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Alexander Bublik Predictions and Odds: Australian Open

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Alexander Bublik battle in one of the closest round 1 matchups ranking-wise between a seeded and an unseeded player. See what you can expect from the game with our predictions, and the best betting options available for it.

These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Alexander Bublik Match Predictions

This is a very interesting match, as both players are extremely close in the ATP rankings. But while Davidovich Fokina and Bublik aren’t that far apart ranking-wise, the Kazakh carries better momentum heading into this game.

Bublik to Win

Bublik had a relatively strong finish to 2022. The Kazakh had one runner-up finish at the Mozelle Open, then made it back-to-back quarterfinals in Florence and Basel. The hard court should also favor his style, which is better suited to faster surfaces compared to clay specialist Davidovich Fokina’s.

Bublik also has the advantage in the head to head – a match played on clay at the Barcelona Open in 2021. Their second encounter looks even more favorable for the Kazakh, who is surprisingly listed with the longer odds.

Total 4 Sets

While I do expect Bublik to win, this most likely won’t be a walk in the park. Davidovich Fokina is a fighter and doesn’t go down without making his opponent work for it. This is still a close match, and Davidovich Fokina taking one set seems like a very realistic bet.

I still don’t expect the match to go the full distance however, therefore sticking to four sets is the best option available.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Alexander Bublik Preview

And with the match predictions now taken care of, we will look at the players’ recent history heading into this Australian Open round 1 match.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

In many ways, Davidovich Fokina had his best year in 2022. Although his win-loss record (21-26) wasn’t particularly great, the Spaniard did reach his first ever Masters 1000 final. He also achieved a career best #27 in the ATP rankings. But his form took a nosedive at the end of the year.

It all started at the US Open, when Davidovich Fokina twisted his knee in an awkward angle during the final set of a thriller versus Matteo Berrettini. Despite soldiering on until the end, he was clearly hindered by the injury. Davidovich Fokina has now lost five consecutive matches since then, and hasn’t played in 2023 yet.

Alexander Bublik

Much like Davidovich Fokina, Bublik also had a career year in 2022. The eccentric Kazakh won his first title at the ATP Tour level, shocking Alexander Zverev in Lyon. Bublik followed it up with other strong performances, including a quarterfinals appearance at the Swiss Indoors and finishing runner-up to Lorenzo Sonego at the Moselle Open.

The 25-year old also achieved his best ranking, placing inside the top 30 for the first time. His other highlights from 2022 included wins over Casper Ruud and Cameron Norrie in the Davis Cup. Despite a slight drop to #36 by the end of the year, Bublik has been trending up.

Davidovich Fokina vs Bublik head to head

Just as mentioned further above, Davidovich Fokina and Bublik have only played against each other once at the ATP Tour level. The Kazakh came on top with a 2-1 score in Barcelona 2021.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Alexander Bublik Match Details

Australian open 2023 PF 8

  • Which court is the match going to be on? The match will be played on court 16 of the Melbourne Park complex.
  • What is the start time for this match? The match is currently scheduled for the second timeslot, therefore starting after the 12:00 am GMT comes to an end.
  • Is the AO 2023 available to watch in the UK? Yes, U.K. viewers can enjoy the 2023 Australian Open on Eurosport, both on TV and online, and on Discovery + online.


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