Hurkacz saves championship point, beats Rublev for Shanghai title

Hubert Hurkacz secured the second 1000-point title of his career when he outlasted Andrey Rublev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(8) in the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Sunday afternoon. Hurkacz came back from the brink of defeat late in the third set to triumph after two hours and six minutes.

As he had been throughout the entire tournament, the world No. 17 was dominant on serve in the opening set. One break was enough for him to take it, but Rublev answered by earning his first and only break of the match with Hurkacz serving at 0-1 in the second. Rublev served out the set from there without facing a break point.

That led to a dramatic decider, in which Hurkacz saved a break point at 1-1 before Rublev fought off a championship point on serve at 4-5. In the ensuing tiebreaker, the Russian seized a 5-2 lead (one mini-break) and also brought up his own championship point at 6-5. Hurkacz snuffed it out on his serve and eventually capitalized on his fourth championship point at 9-8 by forcing Rublev into a forehand error at the end of a long baseline rally.

“It was such a battle,” Hurkacz assured. “Especially emotionally. I had a match point and Andrey hit an amazing serve and then he had a match point and then I had some match points. It was back and forth and such a tricky match. Andrey was playing some great shots. I was trying to respond. It was one of those matches and I kept believing and I am super happy with how I managed at the end.

“It is such a big tournament and so much tradition. It is a huge event. I am really happy now.”

Hurkacz will now wrap up his Asian swing at the Japan Open in Tokyo, where he awaits Zhizhen Zhang in the first round. They just faced other in Shanghai, with the Pole prevailing in a third-set tiebreaker.

Hurkacz’s first Masters 1000 title came at the 2021 Miami Open (d. Jannik Sinner). He also finished runner-up last summer in Montreal (l. to Pablo Carreno Busta). Rublev was also bidding for his second Masters triumph (previously won this spring in Monte-Carlo), which would have officially clinched a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals. Now the world No. 7 will have to wait at least until Vienna later this month to punch his ticket to Turin.