Russian Andrey Rublev, world number 8, won the second Masters 1000 title of his career in Madrid, overthrowing Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, former top 10 today 35And4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in almost three hours on Sunday 5 May, three weeks before Roland-Garros.
Rublev (26 years old) was crowned for the first time in Monte-Carlo in 2023 in this category of tournaments, the most prestigious after the Grand Slam. At 23, Auger-Aliassime played in his first Masters 1000 final.
The highest-ranked player in the last four, Rublev had suffered four consecutive defeats when he arrived in the Spanish capital. After being disqualified in Dubai at the beginning of March for shouting his anger a few centimeters from a linesman’s face, he won one match (at Indian Wells), then nothing. Neither in Miami, nor in Monte-Carlo, where he was the title holder, nor in Barcelona.
With his coronation in Madrid, he will rise to sixth in the world on Monday, one place away from his best ranking, achieved in September 2021.
Bad start to the match
After a terrible start to the match, to the point of finding himself down 4 games to 1 with a double break behind him, Rublev gradually entered the match. Too late to save the first set, but later in the game he took a clear lead over Auger-Aliassime.
In the decisive round, the young Quebecer, massaged twice on the thighs during the change of side, remained afloat for a long time thanks to the efficiency of his serve. But he ended up collapsing on a double fault, on his Russian opponent’s first match point.
The “FAA” was invited to the Masters 1000 final for the first time thanks to a rare combination of circumstances: three of the previous six matches did not end. It benefited from the withdrawal of world number 2 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals and the abandonment of Czech Jiri Lehecka (31And) in the semifinals, after just six games. To this we must add another withdrawal at the beginning of the Spanish fortnight, that of the young Czech Jakub Mensik in the third round (at 6-1, 1-0).
In the ATP rankings, his path to the final will be rewarded with a leap of at least fifteen positions into the top 20.