This year’s Rotterdam champion Andrey Rublev dropped just five points on his first serve to beat Emil Ruusuovori 6-4 6-4 to advance to the third round at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Rublev recorded his 14th win from 16 matches this season and extended his ATP 500 winning streak to 21 consecutive matches. The Moscow native player has tied Andy Murray for the second-longest winning streak at ATP 500 level. The only player to boast a longer streak of ATP 500 match wins is Roger Federer with 28 victories.
“There is no secret to my streak. It just happened. I was not focused on this. It just happened that I did good in these ATP 500 weeks and I am really happy. We will see what is going to happen. I was not even realising that I did this. I am realising it now. I am really happy that it happened to me. I am really happy that I achieved something that Andy Murray, because it is not easy”, said Rublev.
Rublev got a single break in each set. He hit a backhand winner up the line and earned an early break in the first game after double faults from Ruusuvuori. Rublev dictated rallies with his forehand to break serve for 4-3 in the seventh game of the second set.
“It was definitely a tough match. It was my first match here and Emil played through qualifying and won a first-round match. He was used to the conditions already and it was not an easy match. It was close, especially in those moments in the second set. I am really happy with the way I played today. I played quite a good match and I am happy to be in the third round”, said Rublev.
Rublev will face either last week’s Doha champion Nikoloz Basilashvili or Taylor Fritz.
Rublev is bidding to win his fifth ATP 500 Tour title this week. He won three ATP 500 titles in Hamburg, St. Petersburg and Vienna in 2020 and in Rotterdam in 2021.