Rublev downs Sinner to reach last four in Montreal

Andrey Rublev defeated reigning champion Jannik Sinner world no. 1 after surviving a storm in three sets on Saturday’ quarter final encounter in Montreal.

Rublev moved up to eighth position in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin after the 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 victory, surpassing Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fiercely contested race for a spot in the ATP Finals at the end of the year.

“It was a really great match of mine. I was playing really well today and I’m happy that I was able to win,” Rublev said.

“I don’t know, not much to say, because I still for the moment… really I don’t understand what’s happening, because Jannik is an amazing player and he’s playing unbelievable for the past two years. I was just hoping that I would be able to fight with him, to show great tennis. In the end, I think we had a lot of great rallies, a lot of long rallies.

“To be able to win this kind of match, of course it’s always special, and of course I needed those matches, especially after some bad moments this year. So of course I’m happy.”

The match which was delayed by an hour due to rainz, saw Sinner’s eight-match winning streak on hard courts, a run that dated back to his Miami title triumph in March.

The 26-year-old Rublev will next face Matteo Arnaldi, who closed Saturday’s play with a 6-4, 7-5 quarter-final win against Kei Nishikori to claim his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final and his second tour-level semi-final overall (Umag 2023).