Andrey Rublev He came out the winner of a standing duel in which he ended up with Taylor Fritz after a rain break. Without too much brilliance on either side, the Russian made his way to the end of the ATP Masters 1000 de Montecarlo 2023 after beating the American with a score of 5-7, 6-1 and 6-3 in 2 hours and 7 minutes of the semifinal. It is clear that Andrey will have to improve his tennis in order to fight for the title.
An erratic Fritz began the match giving Rublev a break opportunity that the Russian took advantage of at first putting pressure with his remains. Successful with his parallels, Andrey confirmed his advantage in white. Despite the frustration of the moment after having given in so early, Taylor made his debut in the light. With drops, included, Fritz reconnected with the game to get a double break point. At the first, the American returned equality to the match.
Frustration changes sides
Even so, the calm in the duel did not last long. Taylor had to take a step forward to save two break points, but he got complicated again with his serve so that the Russian retook the lead in the first set of the semifinal. Taking advantage of his rival’s seconds to subtract practically inside the track, Fritz found Rublev’s mistakes to make it 3-3 on the scoreboard after going up to finish the longest exchange so far. Rushing to the corner, the American saved a new opportunity from Rublev, although he couldn’t with the second.
The errors continued on the server’s side with Andrey facing two more break points as Fritz broke to stay alive in the set. Much more sure of himself, Taylor secured the tiebreak. Controlling the pace from the rest, the American turned the last game around to win the first set of the semifinal.
Rublev accelerates towards the deciding set
Without distancing himself too much from the sensations of the match, Andrey began with a break in favor in the second set. Irregular with his serve, Rublev increased his advantage to take control with the 4-1 score. Even so, Taylor did not throw in the towel and kept fighting from the rest. After about six minutes, Andrey was advancing in the light to get closer to tying the semifinal. The fourth time was the charm for Rublev from the rest as a result of a double fault from Fritz.
Although it seemed that Andrey transferred the force with which he finished the second set, Taylor was the first to break his rival’s serve, still with room for manoeuvre. As had been the case in the match, Rublev once again put the equality, although Taylor would not let him confirm After a break of more than an hour due to rain, the players returned to the court to define the first finalist of the Monegasque tournament.
With the threat of water present, Andrey gained the advantage against the errors of Fritz, who could not find great serves. With some luck, Rublev was placed with a match point from the rest, although Taylor neutralized that first opportunity, just as he did with the second and third. Already with his serve, Andrey finished a task that seemed complicated at first.
