Rublev Rallies Into Dubai SFs

Andrey Rublev extended his winning run to seven matches Thursday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, battling past American Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the semi-finals at the ATP 500 event.

The Russian has been in strong form in recent weeks, advancing to the semi-finals in Rotterdam, before he lifted his first tour-level title since March 2021 in Marseille.

In a hard-fought match against the resilient McDonald, Rublev, who reached the last four in Dubai last season, found his range as the clash went on. The second seed crucially saved three break points in the second set, before he stormed to the finish line to advance into the last four at the hard-court tournament again.

“I just tried to keep fighting to see what would happen,” Rublev said in his on-court interview. “At 2-2 I managed to break him and then I started to play better and I changed the match. It is a great result and I am looking forward to seeing what happens tomorrow. I am super happy, the most important thing is to keep improving.”

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The World No. 7 has now levelled his ATP Head2Head series against McDonald at 1-1, gaining revenge for his defeat against the 26-year-old at the Australian Open in 2019.

In front of a capacity crowd on centre court, McDonald started with his foot on the pedal, playing aggressively to force Rublev into errors. However, the 24-year-old showed his fighting spirit, finding greater depth and consistency as he broke in the fifth game in the second set to turn the tables, eventually triumphing after one hour and 45 minutes.

Rublev’s reward is a meeting with fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz, with the Pole going into that match with a 2-0 ATP Head2Head series lead over the 24-year-old.

Hurkacz reached his first tour-level semi-final of the season, overcoming Italian Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3.

The Pole arrived in Dubai having lost in the second round at the Australian Open and in Rotterdam this year. However, this week, Hurkacz has regained the form that saw him capture three trophies last season, including his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami, where he beat Sinner in the final.

The World No. 11, who has yet to drop a set in Dubai, matched Sinner’s intensity and ball striking throughout, winning 82 per cent (23/28) of his first-serve points to advance after 85 minutes.

“I am super pleased with my performance today,” Hurkacz said in his on-court interview. “Jannik is a great friend of mine, he is such a nice guy. He has been doing unbelievably. His game is so good. It is so much fun to play in front of such a great crowd here.”

With his victory, Hurkacz now leads Sinner 2-1 in their ATP Head2Head series. It is the eighth time the 25-year-old has reached the last four at a tour-level event but the first at ATP 500 level.

First ATP 500 semi-final!@HubertHurkacz defeats good friend Jannik Sinner 6-3 6-3 to secure his #DDFTennis semi-final spot 🌟 pic.twitter.com/ulYgWAU3vf

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 24, 2022

By defeating World No. 10 and doubles partner Sinner, Hurkacz has also snapped a five-match losing streak against Top 10 players. His last Top 10 win before he downed the Italian came against Roger Federer in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in July.

Sinner was aiming to capture his sixth tour-level title this week, having enjoyed a standout 2021 season when he triumphed four times.