Only two seeded players advanced to the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. You can’t count either Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal among them.
Nadal followed Djokovic out of the season’s second Masters 1000 event when he lost to Andrey Rublev 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 during quarterfinal action on Friday evening. Rublev maintained his incredibly hot form by beating the Spaniard for the first time in his career after two hours and 32 minutes.
The Russian, who led the ATP Tour with five titles in 2020 and leads it this season with 23 match wins, abused Nadal’s serve from start to finish. He earned three breaks in the first set, one in the second, and three more in the third. Nadal hurt his own cause by double-faulting seven times, including five alone in the opening frame of play.
Although Rublev failed to close out a 4-2 lead in the second, he did extremely well to recover by breaking Nadal’s serve three times in a row to begin the decider.
“[On one hand], if we look [at] a player like Rafa, who is the best clay-court player in history, then of course it’s one of my best victories for sure,” the world No. 8 commented. “But if you look at [it] from [the] other side, how he feels, for sure he didn’t play his even ‘good’ level today.
“In his position, it’s so tough when people expect [that] you’re the best player on clay and you have to win…every time; you cannot lose on clay because you’re the best. It’s so tough to play with this feeling.”
Rublev is now 23-4 for his 2021 campaign.
Next up for Rublev is Casper Ruud, a straight-set winner over defending champion Fabio Fognini.
Saturday’s other semifinal pits Stefanos Tsitsipas against Dan Evans. Having previously not won a main-draw match on clay since 2017, Evans’ improbable run to the last four includes a third-round upset of Djokovic. The 30-year-old Brit beat David Goffin 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday.
WWW?
Have to admit I made a mistake with what I wrote about Andrey (on a different thread). I completely had missed the first set and tuned into the match to see the kid posing with his tongue hanging out and I was embarrassed for him. And he did it again. I took it as disrespectful to Rafa. And then Rafa won the set and I was relieved. But I turned off the TV and left didn’t bother watching the decider.
I continued to think about the match I took it for granted that Rafa would keep winning and win the match! So when I returned home, I had to watch the recording and see what happened in the first set, watch the entire second set and since Andrey won, watch the final set.
Rafa was pretty terrible and the Russian was able to win the first set on Rafa’s uncharacteristically error-strewn play. The tongue stretched out to his chin, ugly face-pulling was not as directed at Rafa as it was simply aimed at his own dumb mistakes. The third set was a mixture of Rafa again not playing his best and Andrey hanging in there, actually bravely and crossing the line for the unexpected win.
It’s not the end of Rafa, not at all. It was freezing cold and a strange day for Rafa at Monte Carlo with no fans there. It had to be weird and the kid had the awareness and presence of mind to mention that fact after the match. That was the Andrey I have come to admire. He’s okay. Rafa will be okay.
Ruud or Rublev? I don’t know. Maybe I lean toward Ruud because I watched what Andrey went through beating RBA and Rafa.
Me either. I leaned Ruud for pretty much the same reason, but Rublev is a tough young nut so who knows? Glad you “made up” with him. Rafa certainly doesn’t seem to have a problem with his personality, although his game certainly gave him some! In his presser Rafa said his main problem was that his serve went missing but he’s optimistic that he’ll find it in Barcelona.
😁 Always so sweet to “make up” with a favorite. LOL, Ramara. You caught me out!
Rafa’s second serve was bad. But he will know what to do to fix his game and be ready for Barcelona.
Now I must sleep if I want a chance to watch the semis live.
Rublev in 2; Tpas in 2.
Tsitsipas is a force I have lots of belief in him at this point. There was a time when I wasn’t sure (that time when he could not tie his shoes or seem to keep them on his feet),
Evans – I have never thought too much about him but he’s growing on me. He’s funny in a good funny way. And tough as a bucket of nails.
Evans looks like my frog avatar at this point ☹