Rublev Sinks Struff, Seals SF Spot In Monte-Carlo
Rublev Sinks Struff, Seals SF Spot In Monte-Carlo
Is this the week Andrey Rublev captures his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown?
The fifth seed booked his spot in the semi-finals at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Friday when he moved past German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1, 7-6(5).
In a tale of two sets, Rublev hit with effortless power throughout the opening set, striking nine winners to move ahead. He then remained patient in the second set, finding the feet of the onrushing Struff at the net at key moments to earn his 16th tour-level win of the season after one hour and 39 minutes.
“I was able to show a great level through the match, except some moments where I started to show emotions and started to get negative,” Rublev said in his on-court interview. “In the end it was a dramatic match, especially in the second set. But I was able to calm myself down and play a good tie-break and I was lucky to win in straight sets.”
The 25-year-old now leads Struff 3-2 in their ATP Head2Head series, avenging his loss against the 32-year-old in their previous meeting at Roland Garros in 2021.
“I was trying to still be aggressive in the second set but he started to play a bit better,” Rublev said. “He started to play more aggressive. If I started to push, he would start to destroy me, so I have to be the one to hit the ball.”
Rublev will next face Stefanos Tsitsipas or Taylor Fritz as he aims to reach his third ATP Masters 1000 final and second in Monte-Carlo. The 12-time tour-level titlist advanced to the title match in the Principality in 2021.
In a heavy-hitting clash in Monte-Carlo, Rublev opened his shoulders in the first set, cleaning lines with his flat groundstrokes to pull Struff around. The fifth seed then remained patient in the second set, recovering from squandering a break advantage to advance.
Struff leaves Monte-Carlo at No. 64 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings after climbing 34 spots following his run. The qualifier, who was competing in his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final, defeated fourth seed Casper Ruud in the third round to earn the biggest win of his season.