World No 8 Andrey Rublev insisted that he was full of admiration for Rafael Nadal after defeating the experienced Spaniard at the Monte-Carlo Masters on Friday. Nadal was widely expected to seal victory against his Russian counterpart, but failed to live up to his well-earned reputation as the king of clay, crashing out of the competition at the quarter-final stage.
Rublev produced a stunning performance to see off the challenge of Nadal and throw a huge spanner in the works ahead of next month’s French Open, with the latter hoping to defend his title at Roland-Garros once again.
The Russian contender came flying out of the blocks to take the first set, before his opponent drew level in the second to keep himself in the contest and set up a decider.
However, Rublev stormed home to secure a famous win and book his place in the last four of this year’s competition.
He will take on Norwegian hopeful Casper Ruud in Saturday’s semi-final for the chance to face either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Dan Evans for a shot at silverware.
Rublev showed no hesitation in honouring Nadal after Friday’s match, revealing that he does not envy the pressure the 34-year-old faces as the dominant force on clay.
JUST IN: Evans takes aim at Djokovic after upset win over world No 1
“I can’t imagine how to be in the situation of Rafa,” said Rublev during his on-court interview. “Knowing you’re the best player on clay and you have that pressure every time.
“I think for him it must be incredibly tough every time. I’m in shock the way he’s playing under this pressure, and that’s why he’s a legend.”
Thursday’s surprise result is the second major upset in as many days at the Monte-Carlo Masters, with Novak Djokovic crashing out at the hands of British No 1 Evans on Thursday.
The Serb’s exit made Nadal the overwhelming favourite to win the tournament, but he was a long way off his brilliant best for the duration of the match against Rublev.
DON’T MISS
He made no less than 13 unforced errors during the opening set, including five double faults, which allowed Rublev to draw first blood inside 38 minutes.
The Russian appeared to be in full control of the tie as he stretched his lead in the second set, only to be pegged back by Nadal, who showed flashes of brilliance to claw his way back into contention for the win.
He managed to save three break points but lacked a cutting edge, letting a number of chances pass him by before a brief return to form, taking the last four games to draw level.
Rublev promptly broke in the first game of the final set, and managed to keep his cool for the remainder of the contest, despite Nadal pushing hard to complete an impressive comeback, to claim a memorable victory with his first match point of the evening.
The result marked a first career victory over Nadal for Rublev, who tasted defeat in each of their previous two meetings.
The 23-year-old turned professional in 2014 but has never won a Grand Slam title, with the circuit having been dominated by the ‘Big Three’ of Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer for some time.
He has reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, Australian Open and French Open in previous years.
However, Rublev has never progressed past the second round at Wimbledon and will be hoping to achieve a career-best effort at the All-England Club later this year.
