WHAT HAPPENED: The talented 22-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev continues to make a name for himself at the US Open.
After first shooting to prominence as a 19-year-old in reaching the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows in 2017, Rublev charged back into the final eight with a convincing upset of No. 6 seeded Matteo Berrettini, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, on Monday in a breezy Louis Armstrong Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
This was a story of two different matches.
The opening set was pretty much all Berrettini. The strapping 6-foot-5, 24-year-old stepped on the court having been a perfect 45-for-45 on service games so far. He stretched that to 50 claiming the first set.
But Berrettini’s serve deserted him the remainder of the match. He finished by making just 56 percent of his first deliveries, winning just 71 percent of those points. He was broken four times, once in the second and final sets and twice in the third.
When his two-handed backhand rocket landed in the corner past Berrettini’s reach for his 34th winner to seal the two-hour and 42-minute match, Rublev raised his arms in triumph and let out a primeval scream.
“It’s an amazing feeling, “ Rublev said in his on court post-match interview. “It’s a really special moment. I have been waiting for five months for this.”
Rublev’s win was a reversal of last year's Round of 16 meeting between the two won by the Italian in straight sets on his unexpected passage to the semifinals.
“Last year, he started to play so aggressive and I was not ready for that,” the tenth-seeded Rublev. “When I woke up, I was already down two sets. Today, after the first set I was able to come back.”
WHAT IT MEANS: The 2020 season has been pretty much a highlight reel for the heavy metal rock enthusiast Rublev.
He started the year 11-0 winning at Doha and Adelaide. He reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and then made the semifinals in Rotterdam.
The only blemish on his ledger was a first-round exit at the Western & Southern Open, upon the return of the ATP Tour two weeks ago.
MATCH POINT: It could be an all-Russian matchup next for Rublev against No. 3 seed and last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev, who was playing Monday's prime-time match against American Frances Tiafoe. It would be a match between two friends who first played against each other in the juniors. Can Rublev pull off another upset?
