The matches follow one another and look alike for Andrey Rublev. The Russian, opposed for the third time in a row to a French player in this US Open 2023, again delivered a very serious performance against Arthur Rinderknech. The Frenchman, who made an encouraging start to the point of pocketing the first round, ended up cracking after 2:33 of a brave fight (6-3, 3-6, 1-6, 5-7).
The eighth player in the world initially seemed very annoyed and inside in this part, before gradually taking the measure of the stakes and gaining momentum. He will face Jack Draper for yet another Grand Slam quarter-final. The elimination of Rinderknech, coupled with that of Clara Burel a few hours earlier, means that there will be no French in the second week of the US Open. A bad habit.
A convincing first run
We almost believed it, and it is undoubtedly the most cruel lesson of this match. Arthur Rinderknech, a breath of fresh air from the French contingent in this US Open 2023, has not gone that far. And, at the same time, he was never very close either. Except perhaps after the first set, which he won with great authority. He broke the first (4-2), before being caught. He rebroken in stride (5-3), to better surprise an Andrey Rublev initially unable to chain the right strikes with consistency.
Bold and diligent on his serve, the French took what his opponent gave him (6-3). Like us, he must have said to himself “And why not?” seeing the world number 8 next to his push-ups. Except that you don’t beat a regular top 10 in the ATP rankings simply by winning the first round.
Andrey Rublev
Credit: Getty Images
Because the Russian ended up waking up, hitting the ball better, regaining power. It’s never very spectacular, but its effectiveness always pays off. Especially since Rinderknech has gradually drawn physically. Rublev became a metronome again on his face-off, and didn’t let go. He was also extremely effective when necessary, for example by pocketing the break at his first opportunity in the second act (2-4), concluded with a gunshot a few games later (3-6) .
Rublev too solid for Rinderknech
The following set looked like a demonstration, as evidenced by this game dispatched in 39 seconds (1-5), an almost record duration. If he started the game like a diesel, Rublev ended up being unstoppable once the machine was well underway. Rinderknech was not unworthy, did what he could but the step was still too high for him.
The French still had a semblance of a burst of pride in the fourth and last act, during which the two opponents were imperial on their service. Rinderknech managed to stay alive by saving three match points (4-5). Alas, despite the support of the public, whom he never hesitated to seek to obtain this extra energy which could have changed everything, he broke down on fourth gear when he could have pulled off a tie break (5 -7).
When we look at the statistics, we say to ourselves that he will not have much to reproach himself for (67% of first balls passed, 16 aces, 38 winning shots), except perhaps his too hesitant climbs to the net (20 points won out of 34 played at the net). Opposite, Rublev made Rublev, with so little risk, for a lot of results. Small first for him in this edition of the US Open: it will not be a Frenchman in the next round, but a Briton.