Andrey Rublev secured a hard-fought victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime, winning 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5) in the semifinals of the Qatar Open on Friday. This victory sees Rublev advance to the final for the second time, where he will face Britain’s Jack Draper on Saturday.
A Narrow win for Andrey Rublev against Felix Auger-Aliassime
Andrey Rublev, ranked 10th in the world, needed four match points to close out the No. 23-ranked Felix Auger-Aliassime in a thrilling encounter that lasted nearly three hours. This was Rublev’s sixth win in their last seven meetings. The match saw Andrey Rublev withstand a relentless barrage of 21 aces from his Canadian opponent.
Reflecting on the match, Andrey Rublev acknowledged the difficulty of the encounter.
(It took) everything. It was super tough today, Rublev said after the match. He was serving well and I was just saying, ‘Okay, I cannot do much, this is one of the best servers on tour. I just need to try to guess and when I have a moment, just go for it'.
Past experience in Doha for Andrey Rublev
Although Rublev lost in the 2018 final in Doha, he triumphed in the tournament in 2020, making this his second opportunity to claim the Qatar Open title.
His resilience and focus were key in overcoming the powerful serving game of Auger-Aliassime, who made it difficult for Rublev to break through on a consistent basis.
Rublev to face Jack Draper in the finals of Qatar Open
Andrey Rublev’s victory sets up an exciting final match against 16th-ranked Jack Draper, who defeated No. 25 Jiri Lehecka 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 in his semifinal match. This will be Jack Draper’s fifth career final and his first at the Qatar Open.
However, Draper has yet to defeat Rublev in their previous three encounters, with the Russian holding a 3-0 head-to-head advantage.
In what promises to be a highly competitive match, Andrey Rublev will look to add another title to his collection, while Jack Draper will be hoping to secure his first win against the Russian and claim his maiden ATP title.