Andrey Rublev will be hoping to keep his cool in the heat of battle and claim the Madrid Open title against Felix Auger-Aliassime in Sunday’s final, live on Sky Sports Tennis.
Rublev arrived in Madrid on a four-match losing streak, having suffered early exits in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Barcelona.
But he has made amends by now winning four games in a row in the Spanish capital, including a big win against two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
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Sunday, May 5th, 2:30 p.m
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Highlights of Rublev vs Taylor Fritz in the Madrid Open semifinals
Rublev, a 10-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist, said: “That’s the good thing about sport, about tennis. One week can change everything, you have to remember that… because you can’t always perform at 100 percent.” So it’s normal that there are ups and downs.
Rublev is seeking his 16th career title, his first Masters 1000 title since Monte-Carlo last year and his second of the season after winning in Hong Kong in January.
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After defeating Fritz in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open, Rublev admitted that he had hit the luckiest overhead of his life!
Auger-Aliassime had an easy entry into the final after an emotional Jiri Lehecka was forced out
eliminated in the first set of their semi-final.
It was the third game of the fortnight that Auger-Aliassime did not have to play, as Jakub Mensik also ended his career and top seed Jannik Sinner was out due to injury before the scheduled quarter-finals.
The 35th Canadian, who defeated Casper Ruud this week, is seeking his sixth career title and first since his victory in Basel in October.
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Jiri Lehecka couldn’t contain his frustration after having to retire with a back injury in the semi-final against Auger-Aliassime
“It’s crazy,” said Canadian Auger-Aliassime, who had a difficult season. “I don’t know if this has ever happened to a player before.
“It’s kind of a strange situation that I find myself in. This has never happened to me in my career so far, a withdrawal, a breakthrough or a retirement of this kind, in such a row. I couldn’t believe it.” What happened when I saw his back lock up?
“I really feel sorry for him. I’ve had injuries myself and we can all imagine what it feels like to come out on a night like this, hoping to win, to advance, having a battle with the opponent and not being able to play.
“I have great sympathy for Jiri and can do nothing but prepare for Sunday.”
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At the Madrid Open, Sky Sports Tennis caught up with football icon Luis Figo, who praised Rafael Nadal’s incredible career
The men’s singles in Madrid has been hit hard by injuries and fitness issues.
World number 1 Novak Djokovic withdrew before the tournament and alongside Sinner and Lehecka, Daniil Medvedev also crashed out of his quarter-final, while Alcaraz was hampered by a sore right arm before falling to Rublev.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal did what he could before bidding farewell to what is likely to be his final appearance in his home country.
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Watch highlights of the match between Auger-Aliassime and Yoshihito Nishioka
What can you expect from Sky Sports Tennis?
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Discover all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours
Ahead of the second Grand Slam of 2024 – the French Open in Roland Garros from May 26th – you can watch all the big tennis stars in action Live on Sky Sports as they compete against each other throughout the clay court season.
- Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (ATP and WTA Masters 1000) – 7th – 19th May
- Geneva Open (ATP 250) – 20-26 May
- Lyon Open (ATP 250) – 20-26 May
- Strasbourg International (WTA 500 with Emma Raducanu in action) – 20-2. May
- Morocco Open (WTA 250) – 20-26 May
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