It is obvious that Adrian Mannarino particularly appreciates the tournament in Moscow. Double finalist in 2018 and 2019 (the event was canceled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic), the French (51st worldwide) achieved the performance of the week by dismissing Andrey Rublev, 6th in the world and head of series 1.
Winner 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3, in 2:29, “Manna” also saved a match point in the twelfth game of the second set. But this success owes nothing to luck. Extremely impressive lucidity during two and a half sets, he drove crazy the Russian, who we know little inclined to keep his nerves.
Mannarino was under pressure from Rublev during the first seven games. Led 5-2, he then took the reins of the game but an unscrewed backhand cost him the first round (7-5, in 55 minutes). His greatest merit was not to deviate from his path.
Incisive in return of service, easily holding the shock to the exchange thanks to his eye and his flat game, he took control of the second set (3-1, then 5-3). But he missed three set points. Worse, at 5-6, 30-40, he was ordered to save a match point. Rublev hit his backhand into the net. The French then dominated the tie-break, before flying away in the last set, after a break converted to 2-1. He will face in the quarterfinals the lucky loser Ricardas Berankis, striker of Federico Coria (6-2, 6-1).
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