Kevin Anderson vs. Andrey Rublev – French Open, October 3, 2020

Youth meets experience in the 2020 French Open clash between Kevin Anderson and Andrey Rublev on Saturday. Few expected another decent Grand Slam run by the South African at this stage of his career, but he has been excellent in Paris this year.

The 22-year old Russian is certainly satisfied too because he managed to win at the Roland-Garros for the first time.

Both will be eager to take another step forward and survive until the second week of the tournament, but one will have to go home.

I share my expectations for the upcoming match in this Kevin Anderson vs. Andrey Rublev betting preview. The post includes the latest odds and lines, a quick look at both players’ performance so far, my prediction, and a free betting pick.

The Kevin Anderson vs. Andrey Rublev odds show that the Russian is a huge favorite in this clash. I’m a bit surprised by the lines, to be honest, because I expect a closer match as you can see in my analysis below.

Many believed that Kevin Anderson would go home after his encounter with Laslo Djere in the first round of the French Open 2020, but the veteran crushed his opponent without losing a set. He started the second round with a bang too, opening a quick 2-0 lead over Dusan Lajovic.

The Serbian fought back to level the match and once again, it looked like Anderson might be done. The former world number 5 showed mental strength to win the fifth set and book a meeting with Andrey Rublev in the third round.

Big win for Big Kev!

?? @KAndersonATP stays unbeaten (3-0) against Lajovic.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/eebWYDlPWH

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 1, 2020

Anderson prevailed over the Russian in their only clash so far, but it was back in 2015 when the South African was in his prime and Rublev was still a teenager, so I wouldn’t reach too much into that.

What I find more important is that Anderson had over 70% first serve in the first two matches so far, while Rublev has barely kept his over 60%. If the same trend continues on Saturday, the veteran will certainly put up a fight.

I wondered if Rublev’s title in the German Open won’t harm his performance in the 2020 Roland-Garros and it almost did. The youngster was two sets down in his opener against Sam Querrey before stepping up to turn it around.

His clash against Davidovich Fokina in the second round wasn’t easy either and it’s obvious that Rublev can’t stay consistent at this point.

That’s normal at his age and I don’t think that the Russian is ready for a deep run in a Grand Slam tournament yet. He’s still talented enough to reach a round or two further, though, and that’s why he’s the favorite against Kevin Anderson.

I’m very tempted to back Anderson in this one because the odds of +409 for him to win are just insane. The more experienced player has been strong so far in the tournament and his serve has been wonderful.

At the same time, Rublev is the more talented player, so I’m slightly conflicted. Either way, I don’t see how any of the athletes could close this one in three sets, and the price for over 34.5 games is -130. I think that’s the best betting pick and it should be covered with ease.