THE FACTS
Where is Serbia vs Russia taking place? Caja Magica, Madrid
When is Serbia vs Russia on and what time does it start? Friday 22nd November, 2019 – 09:30 (UK)
What channel is Serbia vs Russia on? Eurosport have the rights to show Davis Cup Finals matches in the UK, and you can find out which are televised here
Where can I stream Serbia vs Russia? Eurosport Player subscribers can stream televised matches live
Where can I get tickets for Serbia vs Russia? https://www.daviscupfinals.com/ticketing/
THE PLAYERS
SERBIA
Serbia came through their second Davis Cup tie 2-1 over France to win Group A with an overall 5-1 scoreline after a whitewash over Japan on Wednesday. Filip Krajinovic played out a well-contested match with veteran Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and did fantastically well to come through that in straight sets, while Novak Djokovic took no time at all in doing the same over Benoit Paire. With the tie already won, Vikto Troicki and Janko Tipsarevic took on the French doubles pair, but it remains to be seen if they will continue in that role going forward now we are in the latter stages.
RUSSIA
Russia came through Group B as runners-up, qualifying with their 4-2 aggregate score as Spain beat them in the second tie 2-1. Karen Khachanov had the unwelcome task of overcoming world number one Rafael Nadal, which he made a good go at in the second of their two sets but ultimately the Spaniard was too good. Andrey Rublev, however, beat Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets to level the tie on singles, which means Rublev has won both of his singles rubbers so far. The pair took on Spain’s Granollers and Lopez in the doubles soon after Khachanov’s defeat by Nadal, and their limited squad depth showed itself in a straight-sets loss there.
THE PREDICTION
Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev have battled their way through the first stage of the Davis Cup all on their own and will be grateful of the day off with a quarter-final clash against Novak Djokovic’s Serbia to come. This quarter-final looks like it could go down to the doubles decider, as although Karen Khachnov shares a 1-1 head-to-head record with Novak Djokovic, the Serb is unlikely to drop his level enough to allow the Russian to gain a rare positive percentage over him. Similarly, Andrey Rublev is 0-1 down in his head-to-head with young Serb Filip Krajinovic, but the pair have not played since 2017 and the young Russian has come on leaps and bounds since. Of course, with Djokovic’s win likely, plenty will be riding on Rublev to take this to a decider and that pressure could tell in the opening game. However, all things considered, this tie should go down to the wire and that should also see Novak Djokovic come into the doubles, as both scenarios slightly favour Serbia.