Madrid Open: Rublev beats Auger-Aliassime to clinch second title of the season

Andrey Rublev captured his second title at this level on Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he earned a comeback 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory against first-time Masters 1000 finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The 26-year-old player, who triumphed in Monte-Carlo in 2023, arrived in the Spanish capital off the back of a four-match losing streak. However, the seventh seed played close to his consistent best to reach the final and then dug deep in the title match to earn the biggest win of his season after two hours and 47 minutes.

“I have no words. If you knew what I had been through in the past nine days you would not imagine that I would be able to win a title,” Rublev said. “I’m incredibly happy. That one week changed everything because now it looks like I was not losing the last weeks in the first round!”

“I would say this is the most proud title of my career,” Rublev said. “I was almost dead every day. I was not sleeping at night. The last three, four days I didn’t sleep.”

Rublev, who struck 25 winners against Auger-Aliassime, defeated second seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals before he battled past Taylor Fritz to reach the final. In contrast, Auger-Aliassime benefited from a unique draw in Madrid, where he received a quarter-final walkover from Jannik Sinner and a first-set retirement from Jiri Lehecka in the semi-finals.

While Auger-Aliassime entered the final fresher, Rublev showed grit and determination in the closing stages to improve to 8-1 in deciding sets this year. The seventh seed is up to fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, aiming to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year.

Auger-Aliassime was chasing his sixth tour-level crown. The 23-year-old will rise to No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday, returning to the Top 20 for the first time since last October.