Andrey Rublev signalled his intentions to reclaim the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title tonight, as the ruthless Russian dispatched fellow former champion Ugo Humbert in a titanic three-set tussle on Centre Court.
Rublev, a two-time Dubai finalist and the winner here in 2022, has fond memories of Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, while Humbert – who has enjoyed equally positive fortunes in Dubai after edging Alexander Bublik to the title in 2024 – was looking to tame a second former champion in 24 hours after eliminating reigning champion Stefanos Tsitsipas on Tuesday.
In the early throes of the match, a smattering of vocal young fans dotted around Centre Court stirred up an endless chorus of noise from all four grandstands. <a href="https://menainsights.com/aster-volunteers-joy-of-giving-program-distributes-150000-iftar-kits-to-uae-motorists-during-ramadan-with-support-from-dubai-police-extends-outreach-to-remote-communities/”>With the near-capacity crowd repeatedly serenading both players with cries of “Let’s go, Andrey,” and “Allez, Ugo”, the evenly numbered supporters dovetailed an evenly matched contest.
The nailbiter of a match proceeded on serve for the first six games, before – as is so often the case in professional tennis – the seventh proved critical. Rublev, taking advantage of two break-points afforded by a pair of uncharacteristic double-faults by Humbert, achieved what Tsitsipas failed to do in the entirety of their Round of 32 clash – he broke the Frenchman.
From there, the set resettled into a familiar pattern as the pair traded holds amid minimal threat. After 41 minutes of back-and-forth, it was Rublev – courtesy of a sole break of serve – who sealed the opening set 6-4.
The second set mirrored the first, as both players repeatedly held serve before Humbert, the current World No37, narrowly edged the tiebreak 7-5 to even up the match.
With nothing separating the warring duo, the seesaw match was akin to two prize fighters exchanging blows with neither able to land anything decisive. Buoyed on by feverous support from their respective fans, both players refused to buckle.
With the third set tied at 1-1, Rublev held, broke, and held again to win three straight games and move 4-1 up. The match, predictably, then stayed on serve until 5-3 when Humbert, facing the prospect of elimination, suddenly found himself carrying two break points as Rublev wobbled while serving for the match. The steely Russian was unmoved, however, and dispatched a trio of massive serves – including two aces – to reverse the tide and set-up his first match-point. It was all the 28-year-old needed, as another huge serve forced a Humbert error and sealed the tie for Rublev 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3.
“It was a very dramatic ending,” said Rublev. “I’m really happy I was able to keep going and save the last game. It’s difficult to close a match; you can make a double-fault, or a mistake, but I made three good serves and that helped me a lot. It’s much easier to win points from the serve than playing rallies every time.”
Commending the efforts of his opponent and looking ahead to the next round, Rublev added: “Ugo played really well. I took my two break chances, but he served unbelievably all match. He shoots super hard and very fast, so it’s not easy to do something. I had to be ready for the one chance to break him in a set – and I got those chances and was able to do it. This match gives me a lot of confidence, so we’ll see what will happen in the quarterfinal. I’m playing well, so let’s see.”
Rublev will play France’s Arthur Rinderknech, who prevailed in a gruelling three-set marathon against British fourth seed Jack Draper 7-5, 6-7, 6-4. Finishing well after midnight and with an eerie mist hovering over Centre Court, the entire match yielded only two breaks of serve – both clinched by Rinderknech. Despite the loss, fourth seed Draper heads home with his head held high as he continues his return to top-level tennis after a six-month injury layoff.
On New Court 1, the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor pulled off the day’s biggest upset by taming second seed Alexander Bublik in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5. The win ensures the World No25 a quarterfinal tie against the Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik after the sixth seed made short work of Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, running out winner 6-3, 6-2.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Running until Saturday, a variety of tickets remain available with prices starting from Dh65.
For full details, visit dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com or ticketmaster.ae