(Shanghai) The Russian Andrey Rublev, world number 7, will face the Pole Robert Hurkacz, 17th in the ATP ranking, on Sunday in the final of the Shanghai tournament, with the aim of winning his second Masters 1000 title after that of Monte-Carlo at spring.
Rublev, 25, qualified on Saturday by beating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (19th) in the semi-final, 7-6 (9/7), 6-3, while Hurkacz got the better of Sebastian Korda (26th in the world ), also in two sets, 6-3, 6-4.
The Russian, seeded N.5, however had to battle, particularly during the first set, finally managing to break Dimitrov thanks to long rallies, after 1 hour 17 minutes of play.
In the second round, Andrey Rublev raised his level of play, multiplying the winning shots (25 against 8 for his opponent, in total), which allowed him to conclude without losing a round, as since the start of the tournament.
“He’s one of the players you don’t want to face, because he can beat anyone,” Rublev responded about Robert Hurkacz, his opponent in the final. “With his way of playing, of serving, we’ll see. I especially need to recover to prepare for tomorrow” on Sunday, he added.
The Russian will have to be wary of Robert Hurkacz’s serve if he wants to win the 15th title of his career. In the half, against American Sebastian Korda, world number 26, the 26-year-old Pole scored 14 aces.
This weapon allowed him to win rather easily against an opponent who remained on a convincing victory against his compatriot Ben Shelton (20th in the world).
“It’s very important to start the point well and if I serve well, it puts pressure on my opponent who knows that he must also serve well,” commented the Pole after qualifying for the final.
If he beats Rublev on Sunday, Hurkacz will also win his second Masters 1000, after that in Miami in 2021, and the seventh tournament of his career on the main circuit.
