Australian Open – Round of 16 | Andrey Rublev outlasts Holger Rune in five sets, advances to quarter-finals

He recovered in extremis. In a duel made of roller coasters where he often had the hand without succeeding in driving the point home, Andrey Rublev finally had the last word against Holger Rune in the round of 16 of the Australian Open. To do this, the Russian, world number 6, had to, among other things, save two match points and recover from a hell of a deficit in the final super tie-break with a victory in five sets (6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6) and 3h37 of play. To try to rally for the first time in his career the last four in a Grand Slam, he will challenge Novak Djokovic or Alex de Minaur.

He seemed to have missed his chance. Once again betrayed by his nerves, Andrey Rublev had seen Holger Rune come back to two sets everywhere, before breaking him quickly in the fifth and even serving for the match at 5-3. But the Russian refused to die in three stages. First he broke white, then he saved two match points on his serve when he was down 6-5, 15/40. Finally, when he had lost the first five points of the super tie-break, he was even led 7-3, he triumphed 11-9 on a final stroke of luck favorable to the band of the net.

Rublev should have concluded earlier and almost paid it

Holger Rune therefore legitimately has reason to be frustrated. And yet, Andrey Rublev more than deserved his success. Because if he had been a little more killer in this part, the Russian could have folded the case much earlier. More aggressive and enterprising overall, he was always in front before this famous fifth act where the roles were reversed. In the second and fourth innings which escaped him, he had each time the first break opportunities, without managing to concretize them.

And his young rival almost took the opportunity to punish him. In a day rather without (60 unforced errors including 12 double faults), Rune made do with the means at hand and his exceptional qualities as a “matcher”. After calling the doctor at the start of the fourth set, he seemed to regain some of the energy he had been missing until then. Like an old veteran, and even though he had just been unbroken, the 19-year-old Dane played a feverish Rublev at 5-4. Result ? An unsteady smash then a too long topspin volley from the Russian and the counters were reset.

It was therefore only with his back to the wall that Rublev found the winning formula in the decisive round. And more particularly in this famous super tie-break during which he aligned six points from 3-7 to 9-7 to reverse the trend. His superior aggressiveness paid off, even if Rune also saved two match points, the second of which on an exceptional long-line backhand passing (9-9). The Russian, however, did not disassemble and went forward, while his opponent was sometimes too passive in these key moments. This will be the 7th Major quarter-final for Rublev, his glass ceiling so far.