MOSCOW: Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 ATP Monte Carlo Masters after defeating Germany’s Jan-Lenna...
MOSCOW: Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 ATP Monte Carlo Masters after defeating Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff on Friday.
In a match that lasted one hour and 40 minutes, the 5th-seeded Rublev made things look easy against his German opponent in the first set, but then had to battle hard in the second set on his way to a straight sets win of 6-1; 7-6 (7-5).
"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," the ATP’s official website cited Rublev as saying after the match.
"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," he added.
Rublev, who plays on the ATP circuit under a neutral status, is now all set to clash with American Taylor Fritz to decide who will go to the final of the 2023 ATP Monte Carlo Masters. Fritz looked good on Friday in a win against prominent Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas in their quarterfinal match, which lasted for 1 hour and 10 minutes and ended in two sets 6-2; 6-4 in favor of the American.
"I thought my level today was very high. I think I played a very good match. Beating him here gives me a lot of confidence," Fritz said after his win over Tsitsipas. "It has given me the reassurance I need to know I can play well on clay."
Speaking about his upcoming semifinal encounter with Rublev, Fritz said: "He is a great player and a good friend and I am excited for the match. He is tough."
Rublev, 25, is currently ranked 6th in the ATP’s World Rankings. He is the winner of 12 ATP tournaments. He has also appeared in numerous Grand Slam tournaments, never going further than the quarterfinals. While playing for the Russian national team, he took home the gold at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in mixed doubles (with teammate Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova) and also won the 2021 Davis Cup.
The 2023 ATP Monte Carlo Masters tennis tournament marks its 116th edition this year and is traditionally played on outdoor clay courts. The tournament runs between April 9 and 16 and has 5.8 million Euros (almost $6.4 million) in prize money up for grabs.
Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1, 2022, to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations and also canceled all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in these countries.
On March 14, 2022, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition on the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from taking part in the 2022 Davis Cup and 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.
However, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) allowed tennis players from Russia and Belarus to continue participating in WTA and ATP tournaments, but only under a neutral status.
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