
Rublev Rules Roost as Defending Champion Marches into Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Final
Third seeds Glasspool and Heliovaara down top seeds Mektic and Pavic to reach Doubles final at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium
Dubai, UAE – March 3, 2023: Andrey Rublev stormed into the ATP 500 final at this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, edging out childhood friend and No.7 seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets in front of a capacity crowd at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.
Rublev, the defending champion and World No.6, required a tiebreak to clinch the match 6-3, 7-6 (9) and continue his quest to become the first player since Roger Federer in 2015 to claim back-to-back Dubai titles. The loss ended Zverev’s hopes of reaching a first final since suffering serious injury at Roland Garros last June.
In a seesaw opening game that clocked in at just under 20 minutes, Rublev broke Zverev’s serve at the sixth attempt. He then repeated the feat twice more in four Zverev service games in the opening set, making light work of the German’s 200kph-plus missiles.
Conversely, the second set was deadlocked on serve until the tiebreak, when a relaxed Rublev converted a fifth match point to seal his first ATP Tour win over Zverev, a player who sits 10 places beneath him in the world rankings.
“I was thinking it was going to be a third set, and maybe that helped me,” said Rublev. “It was a super intense tiebreak. We are really good friends; we’ve known each other since we were 10 or 11 years-old in the juniors. He’s like an older brother to me, and he’s beaten me in our previous matches, so I knew I had nothing to lose.”
On reaching his second consecutive Dubai final, Rublev added: “It’s crazy, I have no words for the spectators and supporters here. All the players are grateful – thank you so much.”
Earlier in the day, in the first of the Doubles semi-finals, third seeds Lloyd Glasspool of the UK and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara downed Croatian duo Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 6-4, 6-2 in under and hour on Centre Court.
Yet to drop a set in Dubai, Glasspool and Heliovaara are chasing their fourth ATP Tour title, and second tournament win of the year after triumphing in January’s Adelaide International 1. They will face either Maxime Cressy of the USA and France’s Fabrice Martin, or Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen – the all-Belgian surprise package who have surged through the tournament after being promoted to the opening round as Lucky Losers.
Home >> Events, Entertainment and Exhibitions Section
DSS 2025 Unveils AED 20 Million In Prizes With Citywide Raffles and Retail Promotions
Emirates SkyCargo doubles down on providing exceptional customer experience
The Emirates A350 begins regular operations to Muscat
Zoho Strengthens Support for UAE's Tech Sector By Partnering with DART
Dubai Launches Landmark Initiative Further Enabling First-Time Homeownership
SalamAir Releases 2nd Quarter (Q2) On-Time Performance Data
'School of Life' Brings a Summer of Enriching Experiences to Public Libraries
Google launches Veo 3 on Gemini in the Middle East and North Africa
Van Cleef & Arpels Unveils Fleurs D'hawaï: An ODE To Color
G-SHOCK's Summer Style Statement: Metal-Cased Watches That Define the Season
flydubai breaks ground on new Aircraft Maintenance Centre at Dubai South
The most common mistakes in the care and use of your car's tyres
UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Tadej Pogačar aim for fourth Tour de France title
Vacheron constantin presents les cabinotiers Temporis duo grand complication openface
Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and Électricité de France Forge Sustainability-Focused Partnershi ...