Andrey Rublev beat world number 13 Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-3 after 73 minutes on Manolo Santana Stadium to reach his fifth Masters 1000 final at the Madrid Mutua Open.
Fritz earned his first break after four deuces in the opening game to take a 1-0 lead. Rublev broke straight back in the second game to draw level to 1-1. Both players held on serve until the 10th game when Rublev broke for the second time at love to seal the first set 6-4 after 39 minutes. Rublev converted his third break point in the sixth game of the second set to take a 4-2 lead and served out the win at love in the seventh game after 72 minutes.
Rublev is returning to his best shape in Madrid after losing four straight early matches in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. Rublev has won five straight matches, including against two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter finals.
Rublev will chase his second career Masters 1000 title and his 16thoverall title against the winner of the second semifinal between Felix Auger Auger Aliassime and Jiri Lehecka. Rublev won one title this year in Hong Kong.
“Mu serve helped me a lot. It’s crazy. It’s the good thing about tennis. One week can change everything, you have to remember that, because you cannot always perform at 100%, so it’s normal there will be ups and downs”, said Rublev.
