MONTE CARLO (AFP) – Russia’s Andrey Rublev dug deep to hold off Danish teenager Holger Rune and lift his first Masters 1000 trophy in Monte Carlo on Sunday.
The fifth seed rallied from 4-1 down in the deciding set to defeat sixth-seeded teenager Rune, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5, after one hour 34 minutes on the red clay of Court Rainier III.
Rublev, 25, claimed the biggest win of his career after losing Masters finalS in Monte Carlo and Cincinnati, both in 2021.
“I don’t know what to say. Trailing 1-4, 0/30, then saving break points, thinking there is no chance to win. But somehow I did it,” said the world number six, who blasted down 33 winners on the way to his 13th career title.
“I was hoping deep inside that I would have one chance,” he continued.
“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.”
Deprived of his national flag after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the player from Moscow thanked the crowd for their support.
“Coming from the country where I come from, to receive such international support, it is enormous,” he said.
