WHAT HAPPENED: Coming back from two sets down, American Tristan Boyer, a 24-year-old former Stanford University player who had only four match victories on tour before winning his first round at the 2025 US Open, pushed No. 15 Andrey Rublev to the brink before losing in a fourth-set tiebreak, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(4).
Rublev looked dominant as he cruised to a 2-0 set lead, but the third set found Boyer more relaxed and sharp. After six holds of service in the third set, Boyer faced some pressure in Game 7 but, aided by a net cord that fell on Rublev’s side, Boyer held. Overall, the American gained consistency, especially with his serve, and both players held to 6-5 for Boyer. In Game 12, Rublev acquired a 15-40 deficit with a double fault thrown in to help Boyer, who ripped a forehand winner down the line to steal the set.
Boyer was smiling gleefully from his seat on the changeover while Rublev left for a bathroom break. The Grandstand crowd grew quickly in support of the American.
In the fourth set, Boyer found his momentum stalled as Rublev broke him immediately but in Game 2 the American forced Rublev to fight off three break points before winning the game amid some visible frustration. Boyer got the break in Game 4, and the two cruised on serve to the tiebreak. Rublev got a minibreak early and closed out the match with an ace at 6-4.
As the match progressed, Boyer actually overtook Rublev in forehand winners. As Rublev admitted on court after the match, the difference between the first two sets and the second two was that “he had nothing to lose” and “started playing really well.”
WHAT IT MEANS: Rublev has been ranked in the year-end Top 10 for the past five years, yet he has never advanced past the quarterfinals of any major. At the US Open since 2020, he has lost twice to Daniil Medvedev, twice to Frances Tiafoe and last year to Grigor Dimitrov. If he hopes to advance further this year, he’ll likely have to go through Alexander Zverev in Round 4.
MATCH POINT: Rublev has shown himself to be one of the more self-reflective and self-critical players about his disappointments and his behavior, admitting to the difficulty of maintaining focus. After losing in the quarterfinal in Cincinnati to Carlos Alcaraz in three tight sets, he said, “At this level, the smallest details make the difference. At a decisive moment, an unnecessary thought crosses your mind, making you hesitate for a second, and suddenly everything becomes much more complicated.”
