Andrey Rublev confirms his good form as he defeats Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 and advances to the semifinals of the ATP 500 Vienna Open.
The head-to-head record favored the German world No. 10 by 5-2, but their last two encounters this year ended in Rublev's favor. In their first indoor match, both reached the quarterfinals without dropping a set.
Rublev defeated Alexei Popyrin (7-6, 6-4) and Matteo Arnaldi (7-5, 6-3) on his way to this stage. The Russian arrived here after an impressive week at the Masters 1000 Shanghai Open, where he reached the final but lost in a third-set tiebreak against Hubert Hurkacz (3-6, 6-3, 7-6).
Zverev had comfortable victories in the previous rounds over the Austrian Sebastian Ofner (6-4, 6-1) and Cameron Norrie (6-2, 6-4), leaving behind two consecutive first-round defeats in Shanghai and Tokyo.
In the first set, both players started strong on their serves in the initial games. In the fourth game, Rublev applied pressure on 'Sascha,' and in a hard-fought game, the Russian earned the first break point to take a 3-1 lead. It wouldn't be the only break, as after holding his serve, he broke Zverev again and comfortably took the set 6-1 in 39 minutes.
In the second set, Zverev improved his serve, hitting at 79% first-serve accuracy and winning 81% of those points, along with 71% of second-serve points. The German also displayed better returning, allowing him to play longer points.
While Zverev improved in his return game, Rublev began to play more aggressively and take risks. In a set without breaks, Rublev hit 14 winners and made 5 unforced errors, while Zverev counted 8 winners and 3 unforced errors. In the tie-break, the 26-year-old German recovered from a 3-0 deficit and leveled the match with a score of 7-6(5).
The start of the third set was very positive for Rublev, who continued to seek winners with great confidence. He quickly took a 3-0 lead thanks to a break and held his serve to win the match 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3.
In the semifinals, Rublev awaits the result of the last match of the day between the 7th seed Frances Tiafoe (12th) and the second seed Jannik Sinner (4th). In the other semifinal, a great clash between Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas is already confirmed. If Sinner defeats 'Big-Foe,' the tournament will feature the top four seeds in the semifinals.
Rublev d. Alexander Zverev 6-1 6-7(5) 6-3 in Vienna After losing to Zverev in their first 5 tour level matches, Andrey has won the last 3. ✅7th SF of 2023 Andrey did what he had to do this week by qualifying for the ATP Finals. But I’d love to see him lift another trophy. ❤️
