Alex de Minaur Secures Revenge Victory Over Andrey Rublev at Rotterdam Open

Alex de Minaur has achieved a satisfying triumph over his Melbourne adversary Andrey Rublev to advance to the semi-finals at the Rotterdam Open, setting up an intriguing showdown with Grigor Dimitrov on his 25th birthday.

The Australian tennis star de Minaur, seeking redemption after his Australian Open defeat to Rublev, delivered a resilient performance, outlasting the Russian 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-3 in a thrilling quarter-final clash at the Rotterdam Ahoy complex.

"I played him on my birthday, and he was rude enough to beat me when I was two match points up," de Minaur humorously recalled, reflecting on his previous encounter with Dimitrov at the Dutch tournament last year.

As de Minaur readies for his birthday duel against Dimitrov once again, he remains hopeful that history does not repeat itself from the previous year when the Bulgarian denied him victory on his special day.

In the aftermath of his battling win over the world number five Rublev, de Minaur appears fully recovered from the heartbreaking late-night defeat suffered in Melbourne, notably overcoming a 6-0 final set bagel loss at the Australian Open.

The fiercely contested match between de Minaur and Rublev showcased the competitive nature of their rivalry, with de Minaur’s victory potentially propelling him back into the top 10 of the ATP rankings next week.

De Minaur emphasized the need to adopt a bold approach against Rublev, asserting that he had to be aggressive and take control of the points to counter the Russian’s powerful game.

One of the standout moments in the encounter was de Minaur’s exceptional performance in the opening-set tiebreaker, where he produced a series of spectacular shots to turn the tide in his favor after facing a deficit.

Rublev responded strongly by capitalizing on a crucial break early in the second set, exploiting a double fault from de Minaur to claim the set, but the Australian showcased his resilience in the deciding set, securing a pivotal break in the sixth game to seal the victory.

Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov, the winner of the Brisbane International earlier in the season, secured his spot in the semi-finals by outlasting the resilient Alexander Shevchenko in a hard-fought battle, prevailing 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4.

The stage is set for an exciting semi-final clash between de Minaur and Dimitrov, promising another enthralling chapter in their on-court rivalry at the Rotterdam Open. AAP