The Russian Andrey Rublev, second seed, beat the Chinese this Monday, which is a little difficult Zhizhen Zhangranked 46th in the world rankings, in the first round of the ATP 500 hard court tournament in Dubai, 6-7 (4), 6-2 and 6-4.
The ATP number 5 achieved a laborious comeback against a rival he already had the chance to face, in 2022, at the Almaty Open (Kazakhstan), after the first set to erase.
An hour and 52 minutes of the match marked by a spirited and relatively even start. The first set was tied at 6-6 and decided on a tiebreaker; Zhang took advantage after his serve was in jeopardy for the first time and after two breaks from Rublev recovered.
In the second round the Russian got his act together and the Chinese began to show his weaknesses. Two breaks in Zhang’s third and seventh games allowed the Hong Kong champion to take the set.
In the decider, the Asian made the same mistake again, in the third game, and ended up handing the match to 26-year-old Rublev.
In the round of 16, Andrey Rublev will face the winner of the clash between the Italians Lorenzo Musetti and the french Arthur Cazaux.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
