ATP Rotterdam: Final - Felix Auger-Aliassime pulls the nerve of Andrey Rublev
After a three-set win over Andrey Rublev , Felix Auger-Aliassime is in the final of the ATP indoor hard court event in Rotterdam.
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit:
Feb 12, 2022, 10:26 pm
Really great tennis at the ATP World Tour 500 tournament in Rotterdam: Felix Auger-Aliassime prevailed in the semi-finals in the Netherlands in a largely high-class exchange of blows with Andrey Rublev 6: 7 (5), 6: 4, 6: 2 through. The 21-year-old number three of the event is in his 9th tournament final on the ATP tour after defeating the defending champion from Moscow. Auger-Aliassime had already been in the final in Rotterdam in 2020, but had to admit defeat to the Frenchman Gael Monfils 2: 6, 4: 6.
The spectators in the Ahoy Arena were really offered a lot - by both opponents, mind you. The first set was hard fought, both players were able to win breakballs again and again, but nobody was able to break away. The logical consequence was a tie-break in which Rublev managed the decisive mini-break to make it 7-5. So the opening movement is an immensely tight affair.
Match tipped midway through the second set
At the beginning of the second round, the level increased again noticeably, but only the Canadian was able to maintain it until the end. Rublev had found a total of four breakballs when the score was 3: 2, but Auger-Aliassime knew how to fend off all of them with excellent serves. The man from Montreal then secured the break to lead 5: 4 and then served safely.
In the third act of the dramatic encounter, momentum finally favored the North American. Rublev, meanwhile completely unnerved by the constancy Auger-Aliassimes, allowed two service losses to 1: 2 and 1: 4. The serving after 2:21 playing time was then only a matter of form. In the final on Sunday, the semi-finalist of last year's US Open will meet Stefanos Tsitsipas, who also defeated the surprise man Jiri Lehecka in three sets.