Andrey Rublev beat Facundo Bagnis 6-1 6-4 after 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach the third round at the Madrid Mutua Open. Rublev stopped his four match-losing streak.
Rublev hit 24 winners and committed 10 unforced errors to improve his head-to-head record to 2-0 against Bagnis.
Rublev broke serve in the second game to open up a 3-0 lead. Bagnis saved two break points to hold serve after seven deuces. Rublev broke for the second time in the sixth game and served out the first set with a hold at 30.
Rublev converted his second break point in the first game of the second set. Bagnis broke straight back in the second game to draw level to 1-1. The Argentine player saved three break points to hold serve after four deuces. Rublev broke serve in the seventh game and held serve at 15 to take a 5-3 lead. The 2023 Monte-Carlo champion served out the win on his second match point.
Rublev won his only title in Hong Kong and reached the quarter finals at the Australian Open, Rotterdam, Doha, the semifinal in Dubai, but he lost to Jiri Lehecka in the Round of 32 in Indian Wells to Tomas Machac in the Round of 64 at the Miami Open, to Alexei Popyrin in the Round of 32 in Monte-Carlo and to Brandon Nakashima in the Round of 32 in Barcelona.
“It feels really great after a while with a win and I am happy with my performance. I think I played a good match, for the first round especially being in completely in different conditions compared to other tournaments, and I played at a good level. This week I started to feel that I am more relaxed. I was practising well and the mood was different since I arrived since I arrived here. That’s why I had the feeling I should win one match at least”, said Rublev.
Rublev set up a third-round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who beat Chinese Next Gen player Shang Juncheng 7-5 6-3.
Thiago Seyboth Wild beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 6-4. The Brazilian player defeated Danil Medvedev at last year’s edition of Roland Garros.
Seyboth Wild saved two break points in the fourth game before converting his third break point in the fifth game to win the first set 6-4. Seyboth Wild dropped just one point in his three service games.
Musetti saved a break point in the first game of the second set. Seyboth Wild saved a break point in the eighth game before earning a break in the ninth game. Musetti did not convert a break point as he hit a forehand into the net before Seyboth Wild sealed the win on his second match point.
Tommy Paul came back from one set down to beat Lukas Klein 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-4. Paul is playing in his first tournament of the season after missing Monte-Carlo due to injury.
The first set went on serve en route to the tie-break. Paul went up a mini-break twice in the tie-break, but Klein pulled back on serve both times. Klein earned his third mini-break to win the tie-break 7-5.
Paul saved five break points in the third game of the second set. The 2023 Australian Open semifinalist won the final five games with two breaks of serve to win the second set 6-1.
Klein earned two break points in the second game of the third set. Paul earned the decisive break in the fifth game and sealed the win on his first match point.
Paul set up a match against Francisco Cerundolo, who beat Hungary’s Fabian Maroszan 6-2 7-6 (7-5).
