In a stunning upset, Andrey Rublev defeated Alexander Zverev in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6(9), to advance to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final on Friday. This was Rublev’s first victory over Zverev in six attempts and he will now look to defend his title in the final.
The second-seeded Rublev, who saved five match points earlier in the week against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, had not won a set in his previous five meetings with Zverev. However, the Russian flipped the script with a clean-hitting performance, saving one set point in the second set to secure the win.
Rublev said after the match, “I was thinking it was going to be a third set. I was preparing mentally for the third set but I somehow saved a set point. I had a couple of match points but he played well, but in the end, at 9/9, I made a good return and then I said ‘Ok, let’s try to make it here’. I won a crazy rally and I was lucky. It was a super intense tie-break.”
Rublev’s Path to the Final
Rublev is looking to become the third repeat champion in Dubai, joining Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The 25-year-old, who defeated Jiri Vesely in last year’s final, will face third seed Daniil Medvedev in his first championship match of the season.
Rublev’s strong performance in the tournament comes after his disappointing quarter-final exit in Doha last week. He played with confidence against Zverev and demonstrated good defense, soaking up Zverev’s heavy-hitting throughout the match.
Rublev’s Thoughts on the Final
Rublev will be chasing his sixth ATP 500 crown and 13th title when he competes in his 18th tour-level final on Saturday. Looking ahead to the final, Rublev is anticipating a hard-fought battle against Medvedev, who leads their ATP Head2Head 4-2 despite losing the past two contests.
“Daniil, he plays really low and flat,” Rublev said. “Daniil is like the one that counterattacks, waits for the right moment. It’s going to be maybe 30 shots [a] rally.”
Zverev was playing in his first semi-final since he suffered a right ankle injury against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros last year. The German is up two spots to No. 14 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his run in Dubai.
Rublev’s Relationship with Zverev
Rublev and Zverev have known each other since they were 10 or 11 years old and have been together since their junior years. Rublev talked about his relationship with Zverev after the match, saying, “He was always like an older brother to me and in all the previous matches he beat me. Today when I was going on court I thought I had nothing to lose. He always beats me, so why need to be tight.”
Rublev’s upset victory over Zverev sets up a tantalizing final against Medvedev. Rublev will be looking to defend his title and continue his strong form in Dubai, while Medvedev will be looking to add to his impressive record against Rublev. Tennis fans will be eagerly anticipating what promises to be a thrilling match between two of the game’s brightest stars.
