Monte Carlo [Monaco], April 16 : Andrey Rublev on Sunday clinched his first ATP Masters 1000 title as he overcame teenager Holger Rune 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
On Court Rainier III, the fifth seed triumphed over Rune. Rublev hit 33 winners and rallied from 1-4 in the third set to win his 13th and biggest title in two hours and 34 minutes. Rublev won the match with his fifth ace, falling to the floor in celebration.
"I have tears. I don't know what to say. I am so happy. I have been struggling so much to win a Masters 1000 tournament. Trailing 1-4, 0/30, then saving break points, thinking there is no chance to win. But somehow I did it," ATP.com quoted Rublev as saying.
With his 18th tour-level win of the season, Rublev improved to 1-2 in ATP Masters 1000 finals, having lost against Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte-Carlo and Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati in 2021.
"I was hoping deep inside that I would have one chance. Play until the end. I remember the previous finals and when I was losing I thought I'd have no chance and mentally I was going down. But today I thought, 'Just believe until the end', and this is what I was trying to do in the third set, hoping I would have an extra chance to come back and what a way to do it," Rublev said.
Following his first tour-level title of the season, the 25-year-old has risen seven places to fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, having clawed past American Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals.
Rune, 19, was attempting to win his second ATP Masters 1000 title after defeating five Top 10 opponents en route to the title in Paris last year. The Dane will now travel to Munich for the ATP 250 event, where he is the defending champion with a 17-8 record this season. Rune was the first teenager to reach the Monte-Carlo final since Rafael Nadal, then 19, won the title in 2006.
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