MELBOURNE. – Andrey Rublev rallied back from the brink to dump Holger Rune out of the Australian Open and book a second quarterfinal at Melbourne Park courtesy of a lucky net cord on match point that sealed a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (11-9) cliffhanger on Monday.
Fifth seed Rublev had to do it the hard way, having been 5-2 down in the final set at Rod Laver Arena and needing to save two match points to take contest into a 10-point tiebreak of unrelenting tension.
He slipped 5-0 behind in the breaker but roared back to lead 9-7 before ninth seed Rune saved two match points in a late twist.
It took the net cord to separate them, with Rublev’s final return clipping the net and popping over on the third match point, leaving the Dane no chance.
“(Tennis is) not a rollercoaster, it’s like they put a gun to your head,” Rublev said on court.
“I think a rollercoaster is a lot easier, man.”
“I never in my life was able to win matches like this, this was the first time in my life I was able to win a match like this.
Rublev will meet the winner of nine-time champion Novak Djokovic and home favorite Alex de Minaur, who play in the night session.
“No-one wants to face Novak, I’d rather be in any other part of the draw,” added Rublev wryly.
In women’s play, Aryna Sabalenka eased into quarterfinals for the first time to firm as a favorite for the title after blasting Swiss Belinda Bencic 7-5, 6-2.
Fourth seed Caroline Garcia was bundled out and 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova’s dream run was brought to an end.
World No. 45 Magda Linette ensured Poland would be represented in the last eight by stunning Garcia 7-6(3), 6-4, while Croatian Donna Vekic, ranked 64th in the world, held her nerve to down Fruhvirtova 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.
Vekic will next play Sabalenka and 30-year-old Linette will take on Czech former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, who breezed past China’s Zhang Shuai 6-0, 6-4 on Kia Arena. — Reuters
