Andrey Rublev overcame a solid effort from Sebastian Korda to reach the
Miami Open semifinal coming only two wins away from what would be his first Masters title.
It was not an easy match for Rublev who was facing an opponent that was not going to go away easily. The weather played a factor as well, as rain interrupted the match as well but in the end, Rublev prevailed with a 7-5 7-6(7) victory. The Russian was very impressed with the fighting spirit of Korda on which he said:
"If we talk about the second set, I also could win easier, but it happens, this is tennis. Maybe next match I will lose the second set and lose the third. I mean, today I managed to win and I'm happy. Sebastian is a really great player, he's really talented."
Rublev kind of anticipated a tough match due to the familiarity of Petr Korda with Rublev. On that brief partnership Rublev said:
"I know really well his father because he was helping me a bit, especially when I was maybe 16. When I was in Bradenton IMG he was helping me, giving me advice, hitting with me. I'm really grateful to him for this. I saw Sebastian even when he was even smaller, maybe 13. I don't know if he remembers."
This will be the first semifinal for Rublev at a Masters 1000 event and Andrey knows how tough Hurkacz will be. Speaking on that semifinal showdown he said:
"I know how tough tough Hurkacz is, for example, he beat me last year. It's more about that maybe I feel extra pressure because I'm the one left [from the] Top 10 and looks like I'm high ranking and I feel more pressure."
To conclude Rublev believes that either of the four players can win the Masters:
"So in the end, everyone can win now."