On Sunday, Andrey Rublev clinched the ATP tournament in Marseille. In the final, he upset Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) to win his first ATP Tour title since March 2021.
Rublev's mental fortitude was on display in the match. The Russian came back from a set down in the first set, rebounded from missing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set. Afterwards, he averted a set point on his sharp serve in the second set to triumph in one hour and 57 minutes.
Read more: Felix Auger-Aliassime clinches his first ATP title in Rotterdam
The match in a nutshell
Auger-Aliassime jumped out to a 2-0 lead after a fast start. Rublev, on the other hand, swiftly found his range by stepping inside the baseline and pinning the Canadian far behind the baseline. The Russian, who had seven aces in the first set, then elevated his game at the end of the first set. He rallied for a 6-5 lead before holding service to close off the first set.
The second set was a nail-biter, with both players trading blows from the baseline. Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, showed indications of exhaustion after his hectic current calendar. From 2-2, three breaks were traded in succession, with Rublev gaining two of them. With Auger-Aliassime tugging Rublev from edge to edge as he broke back to love, the Russian failed to serve out the match at 5-4. However, the Russian swiftly regained his composure, preserving a set point on service at 5-6, before winning the tie-break with a strong and aggressive performance. Thus, he was able to secure his victory.
Read more: Top 10 fastest serves in Tennis history (ATP recognised)
The Russian, who advanced to the final of the ATP 250 event in Marseille after defeating three Frenchmen, has now won nine tour-level titles. Also, the 24-year-old won the doubles final, accompanied by Denys Molchanov. Thus, he became the third player in the tournament's 30-year history to win both the singles and doubles titles in the same session.