Rublev defeats Quiroz, Russia leads Ecuador 1-0 in Davis Cup Finals

It was much tougher than it needed to be but Andrey Rublev won the first point for Russian against Ecuador with a win over Quiroz 6-3 4-6 6-1.

The first match of the Russia - Ecuador tie was a very interesting one where Rublev needed three sets to defeat a player ranked way outside of the top 200. Quiroz has played fairly good tennis at the Davis Cup so far and today he made the Russian bench a bit nervous by taking Rublev to three sets. The first set featured fast play by both players as neither was interested in long rallies.

A strong serve, a strong forehand, and most points finished quickly. Rublev was the better player in those conditions and he was able to rather quickly win the opening set with 6-3. It took him less than 30 minutes but the 2nd set was much longer. It featured a stubborn and strong play by Quiroz who did not allow Rublev to run away with the match.

At 3-2, the Russian had a golden chance to keep the match in two sets but Quiroz was able to save multiple break points to make it 3-3. After that Rublev lost focus a little bit and it gave Quiroz his chance which he took stealing away the 2nd set with 4-6. Nobody on the Russian bench was happy and least of all Rublev, who was very furious with himself.

He unleashed his anger on the court in the next where he dominated from the start. Determined not to lose the match Rublev unleashed some of his strongest forehands of the day and Quiroz was left powerless. The Russian closed it out with 6-1.