Andrey Rublev started off his grass season with two wins over tricky players in Khachanov and Thompson and the Russian is looking to keep that going.
Russian No. 2 Andrey Rublev does not have a lot of experience in grass but he looked in his first two Halle matches. He blasted 20 winners in his win over Thompson and after the match he said:
“I just want to keep going match-by-match and I’m happy to be through to the quarter-finals for the second time. Winning two matches against tough players is a positive and I want to get more confidence on the surface.”
He faced a tricky opponent in Thompson who at times play fairly unconventional tennis. The Australian handled Rublev fairly well not giving him too many chances to play his aggressive baseline play. In the end, Rublev prevailed winning 6-4 6-4 in 86 minutes of play.
The Russian will face Philipp Kohlschreiber next at a time when he is enjoying somewhat of a resurgence on tour. The 37-year old had a great French Open and that success translated to the grass as well.