Joe McConnell
Andrey Rublev survived a second-set collapse to eclipse world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 6-3 1-6 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open in Montreal.
The Russian got the better of the defending champion in the early stages, taking the first set, but his momentum was interrupted by a half-hour delay due to rain.
Sinner fought back after the break, taking the second set without suffering a single break point, before Rublev turned the tables in the third set, fending off five break points in the opening game to take a 3-0 lead.
Andrey Rublev will now face Matteo Arnaldi in the semi-finals on Sunday
He held that lead until taking the third set and booking a place in the semifinals, his second win of the day after defeating American qualifier Brandon Nakashima in three sets.
Sinner also played twice during Saturday’s marathon, beating Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, after Tropical Storm Debby postponed all Friday’s matches and left the tournament behind schedule for the weekend.
Jannik Sinner was aiming to become the first player since Rafael Nadal to successfully defend the Canadian Open title
“I don’t know, there’s not much to say,” Rublev said after beating Sinner. “Jannik is an incredible player and he’s been playing incredibly for the last two years. I was just hoping to be able to fight with him, to show great tennis. In the end, I think we had a lot of great rallies, a lot of long rallies.”
Rublev to face Sinner’s compatriot Matthew Arnaldi for a place in the final after the world number 46 eclipsed Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-4 7-5.
Matteo Arnaldi scored a three-set victory in the quarterfinals
Little split the two players in the first set, with the pair regularly trading serves and breaks of serve until Arnaldi broke Nishikori in the 10th game to take a one-set lead. Arnaldi had the momentum to start the second, opening up a 3-0 lead, before Nishikori rallied to level the score with the Italian at 3-3.
The rest of the second set followed the same pattern as the first, with both players trading games until Arnaldi held serve in the 11th game and broke Nishikori in the 12th, sealing the result after an hour and a minute.
The other two quarterfinals have been postponed to Sunday. The second seed Alexander Zverev was meant to face Sebastian Kordawinner last week in Washington, while he is fourth favorite Hubert Hurkacz It was programmed to play Alexei Popyrin.
Zverev beat 13th seed Holger Rune 6-3 7-6, and Korda defeated Taylor Fritz in straight sets in a second-round match that had originally been scheduled for Thursday before receiving a walker when Casper Ruud withdrew due to illness.
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