Andrey Rublev secured his first match victory since reaching the fourth round of the US Open with a 6-1, 6-4 result against Jacob Fearnley at the Rolex Paris Masters on Monday. The 12th seed improved to 8-8 at the ATP Masters 1000 level this season after a 1-5 start, with recent quarterfinal appearances in Toronto and Cincinnati.
After jumping to a 6-1, 2-0 lead with the help of four breaks, Rublev became embroiled in a battle in the second set as British qualifier Fearnley leveled at 2-2. The tension increased when Rublev missed three break points at 3-2, but he took his next chance on a break chance that also served as a match point.
“I had a very good time [opponent] Today. He can play very well, he won good matches this year,” Rublev said after the match. “I was able to go a step further and play solid tennis. The wins have been bothering me for a while now. To win a match like this on center court is a good feeling.”
According to Infosys ATP Stats, Rublev converted five of his 10 break points in the match and took advantage of 11 double faults from his opponent in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. He will next face Learner Tien, a 6-2, 7-6(7) winner against Nuno Borges earlier on Monday.
Alexander Bublik also advanced on the opening day in Paris. Playing Alexei Popyrin at an ATP Masters 1000 for the second time this season, the Kazakhs repeated the result of their meeting in Madrid with a 6-4, 6-3 victory that leveled their Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 2-2.
A pair of Frenchmen with the same first name advanced by the same score, with Arthur Rinderknech beating Fabian Marozsan and Arthur Cazaux beating Luciano Darderi, both 7-6(5), 7-6(4). The tiebreak drama continued elsewhere as Miomir Kecmanovic defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(2).
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