He collapsed, his back in ocher, after a saving ace on his second match point. At 25, Andrey Rublev won his first Masters 1000 this Sunday in Monte-Carlo, after being down 4-1 in the third set against Holger Rune (7-5, 2-6, 7-5). Renowned for his mental flaws, the Russian has this time cracked his opponent.
The young Dane, who will turn 20 on April 29, definitely exploded at 5-5 in the deciding set, with two smashes into the net and a double fault on a break point against him.
All that remained was for Rublev to finish the job to win the best tournament of his career, having already won five ATP 500s.
What to consider with confidence the rest of the season on clay, until Roland-Garros (May 28 – June 11), even if Carlos Alcaraz, absent in the Principality, will be the great favorite Porte d’Auteuil, provided that physics follows. The young Spaniard will make his return this week to Barcelona, where Rafael Nadal, increasingly worrying, had to forfeit again.