Capable of anything

Rublev offers no guarantees. He could still trip over the rug tomorrow..

Another heartbreaking defeat for the Russian last week against Shang after holding numerous match points. The poor guy didn't even play badly and thoroughly deserved his third set and the match. But he wasn't clinical enough, and Shang was very confident on certain shots, taking his chances when it mattered. It's a mixed bag for Rublev, as he's struggling a bit in terms of results, but I think his level of play isn't bad, or at least not as bad as at the beginning of the year, when things were truly disastrous. He's not losing to just anyone every time, and the matches are relatively close. It's just typical Rublev; he needs to fine-tune a few things, and he can go from a first-round loss to a semi-final or even a final in a tournament of this caliber.

This is a tournament where the conditions could suit him well; it's fast, he picks up speed well, and he has some pretty decent results for a Masters 1000 with three quarter-finals and even a final here a few years ago. Admittedly, he's coming in with a lack of confidence, but I think we should see him play some good tennis.

The Russian will face Carreño, against whom he has never lost in his career, but he's capable of anything. So, we need to be wary. I have to admit that Carreño isn't playing great matches at the moment. He only just beat Machac in the first round, a player making a comeback who was far from his best, both in terms of his tennis and his physical condition. It's still a victory for the Spaniard, but the trend isn't very good right now. And the prospect of a head-to-head match is a bit daunting for him.

He too has already reached two quarterfinals in this tournament and can play well on hard courts, but I don't like the matchup because Rublev plays faster and hurts him with his power. Watching Carreno in reception, who spends all his time running and defending, isn't my favorite scenario. It would take a very offensive version of the Spaniard with good shooting to make Rublev doubt himself. That won't be easy.