"I stressed a little but I won" - says Rublev after hard-fought semifinal win at Halle

Andrey Rublev is through to the NOVENTI OPEN final in Halle and it will be the first final on grass for him.

The Russian did well to overcome Nikoloz Basilashvili in a matchup where he was heavily favoured. Despite that, he needed to go to three sets after losing the 2nd set in a disappointing fashion. On the 2nd set loss he said:

"I had good opportunities to break him (Basilashvili) in the second set, some quite easy forehands and I stressed a little showing my emotions. I then came back and stayed calm."

Rublev indeed missed a couple of chances in the 2nd set before allowing nerves to get to him a little bit. The Russian was able to compose himself in time to jump ahead in the 3rd set. He showed a bit of emotion in the final game of the match as well but as he put it 'I won' so it didn't matter ultimately.

He will face Ugo Humbert in the final tomorrow and he will look to improve on a 4-1 record in ATP 500 finals. The Frenchman was superb all week and the conditions favour him more than Rublev which should make for an interesting match. On the final he said:

“It’s my first final on grass and in Halle. I think I can play on every surface and I will try my best again tomorrow."