Just last week, Rublev came away with a surprising 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 win over the world No. 1 in Montreal.
In that match, Sinner looked like he was battling a couple of things physically.
The Italian was rubbing his hip in between games, and he was visibly limping on the court.
Sinner was also just winded, which isn’t that surprising considering he had just gotten over an illness.
Now that he has had some more time to get himself right, Sinner should be able to rebound—and I think he’ll prevail in straight sets.
Not only has Sinner had a week to work on his conditioning and focus on his body, but he also comes into this match after having not played anybody in the Round of 16.
Jordan Thompson had to withdraw from the tournament, meaning Sinner hasn’t played since his straight-set win over Alex Michelsen on Wednesday.
That means that Sinner should be extremely fresh when he gets out there for the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Rublev went all the way to the final in Montreal, and he has played two physical opponents in Cincinnati.
At some point, the Russian is going to start feeling that.
