World no. 91 Radu Albot of Moldova will meet World No. 117 Steve Johnson in the second round of the 2022 Korea Open on Wednesday.
Radu Albot : vs Steve Johnson | Prediction | Ranking
Radu Albot is a Moldovan professional tennis player. He is the first player from Moldova to win ATP singles (2019 Delray Beach Open) and doubles (2015 Istanbul Open) titles.
| Born | 11 November 1989 Kishinev, Moldavian SSR, Soviet Union (now Chișinău, Moldova) |
|---|---|
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Turned pro | 2008 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Albot has won 1 ATP World Tour singles title, 1 ATP World Tour doubles title, 7 singles and 10 doubles Challenger titles in his career, as well as 14 singles and 7 doubles Futures titles.
He has been a regular member of the Moldovan Davis Cup team since 2007 and holds his country’s records for the most singles wins (28) and total wins (41).
His ATP singles ranking of No. 99 on August 3, 2015, made him the first Moldovan to break into the top 100. Albot achieved a career high ranking of No. 39 on August 5, 2019.
He finished in the top 100 in the year-end rankings for five years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). His year-end career high was in 2019 when he finished at No. 46.
Vs Steve Johnson
World no. 91 Radu Albot of Moldova will meet World No. 117 Steve Johnson in the second round of the 2022 Korea Open on Wednesday, September 28.
World number 91 Radu Albot dodged a bullet in the first round when his initial opponent Borna Coric pulled out of the draw, leaving the Moldovan a winnable fixture against lucky loser Hiroki Moriya.
32-year-old Albot took a 7-8 record for 2022 into the Korea Open after coming back from injury this season and he suddenly has a reasonable chance at a second quarter-final this year.
World number 117 Steve Johnson beat Nam Ji-sung in straight sets on Tuesday but the American trails Albot 1-2 in their head-to-head record and he has struggled for consistent form in recent months.
Albot recently won a Challenger event in Turkey with aplomb and his touch of fortune here in Seoul looks like giving him a little extra motivation. Back the Moldovan to win at least a set a set and leave the victor up to chance.
Radu albot Prediction
Albot leads 2-1 having won both their matches on hard courts. Johnson’s only win came on grass. It will be their first meeting since 2019.
Radu Albot began his Korea Open campaign with a straight sets win over lucky loser Hiroki Moriya on Monday.
The Moldovan saved 9 of 10 break points that he faced during the match and converted 3 of 11 to win the one hour and 45 minute contest 6-3, 6-4.
The 32-year-old, who won his ninth Challenger title this month, by beating Lukáš Rosol in the Istanbul final, has now won six matches in a row, including the five he won to claim in Turkey.
Albot has not played much on the tour this year, improving to 8-8 following the opening round win on Monday. He is 35-25 from all levels.
A win on Wednesday, will take Albot into his second tour-level quarterfinal of the season. His only last eight finish this year came in Los Cabos.
Johnson has tasted more success on the tour this year and could oust Albot to book a place in a third quarterfinal of the season.
Radu albot ranking
His ATP singles ranking of No. 99 on August 3, 2015, made him the first Moldovan to break into the top 100. Albot achieved a career high ranking of No. 39 on August 5, 2019.
Singles
| Highest ranking | No. 39 (5 August 2019) |
|---|---|
| Current ranking | No. 92 (19 September 2022) |
He finished in the top 100 in the year-end rankings for five years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). His year-end career high was in 2019 when he finished at No. 46.
Doubles
| Highest ranking | No. 56 (29 April 2019) |
|---|---|
| Current ranking | No. 479 (19 September 2022) |
Albot has won 1 ATP World Tour singles title, 1 ATP World Tour doubles title, 7 singles and 10 doubles Challenger titles in his career, as well as 14 singles and 7 doubles Futures titles.
He has been a regular member of the Moldovan Davis Cup team since 2007 and holds his country’s records for the most singles wins (28) and total wins (41).
Albot reached the third round at the 2022 Australian Open as a qualifier defeating Australian wildcard Aleksandar Vukic.
He won the title at the 2022 Istanbul Challenger defeating Lukas Rosol. As a result he moved back into the 100 to No. 92 on 19 September 2022.