Qatar Open: Rublev converts 8th match point in dramatic win over De Minaur in Doha
Andrey Rublev dug deep and took a difficult route to the semifinals of the Qatar Open, converting his eighth match point in a dramatic win over second seed Alex de Minaur in the ATP 500 event here on Thursday
- DOHA — Andrey
Rublev dug deep and took a difficult route to the semifinals of the Qatar Open,
converting his eighth match point in a dramatic win over second seed Alex de
Minaur in the ATP 500 event here on Thursday. The fifth seed Rublev came back
after losing the second set for a dramatic 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(8) triumph over De
Minaur of Australia, in which he let slip seven match points before crossing
the line.
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- Rublev, the 2020 Doha champion, squandered a 5-2 lead in the
final set after De Minaur came up with some trademark scrambling to force a
tie-break. Yet the 27-year-old regrouped in remarkable fashion, saving a match
point himself, to seal his first win over a Top 10 player since August last
year.
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- After levelling his ATP head-to-head series with De Minaur
at 4-4, Rublev is into his fourth semi-final in Doha. The No. 10 in the PIF ATP
Rankings will next face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who advanced after Daniil
Medvedev was forced to retire from their quarter-final clash with food
poisoning.
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- “When I had my first match point, I played really well,”
said Rublev after his two-hour, 37-minute win. “I did everything amazing and he
just played an unreal rally. He made the backhand down the line and I played a
good volley. Then he makes a forehand pass down the line. In most of the
matches, normally after these points, they win - it’s a turning [point].
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- "I then started to get a bit more tight and more
emotional, I was a bit unlucky. Then when I lost my serve, I said ‘Okay,
whatever, if I'm gonna lose, at least just try to do your best until the end',”
he added.
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- De Minaur’s notably improved serve deserted him in the
opening set, during which Rublev commanded from the baseline and exploited the
46 percent (12/26) of first serves that the Australian landed, according to
Infosys ATP Stats, with his aggressive return position. The 26-year-old seemed
to have rediscovered his form at the right time, however, once he rallied from
2-5 to force a deciding-set tie-break.
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- Rublev would have lost control after he squandered seven
match points, including two on his own serve, at 5-3 in the final set and 8/7
in the tie-break. Yet the former champion kept his cool and continued to apply
pressure from the baseline, which was ultimately key to his victory.
-
- In another quarterfinal clash at the Centre Court, Canada's
Flex Auger-Aliassime advanced as fourth seed Daniil Medvedev retired from the
match with an injury. Auger-Aliassime won the first set 6-3 before his opponent
withdrew.
