With a title match against Alexei Popyrin in Montreal on Sunday, Andrey Rublev advanced to his second ATP Masters 1000 final of the year.
The fifth germination The May Madrid Masters champion Rublev defeated Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-2 in their semifinal match, overcoming a two-hour rain delay.
He will compete for the trophy on Monday night against Australian Popyrin, who defeated Sebastian Korda, the ATP Washington champion, 7-6 (7/0), 6-3 in 92 minutes.
Rublev’s 2024 has been inconsistent; he lost his temper on the court multiple times due to his play, and he was disqualified in Dubai in February for exploding at a linesman.
However, the Russian said he made the right scheduling decision, skipping the Olympics in Paris to get ready for the North American hardcourts that begin next week in Cincinnati.
“To be set for the US Open was the plan,” he stated. “I suppose it must be working if I’m in the Montreal finals.”
Rublev, who is making his sixth Masters final appearance, warmed up for his title defense on Saturday by defeating world number one Jannik Sinner, who was ranked first.
He claimed that Arnaldi, whose ranking will rise to about 30th and put him in the running for a US Open seed, was difficult to beat.
“He lacks rhythm and has the ability to strike hard out of nowhere. Wind was not helpful, according to Rublev.
“I played a lot better after the rain delay. I could play more aggressively, dictate, and stay focused.
Although Popyrin and Korda traded first-set breaks twice, Popyrin completely dominated the tiebreaker.
In the second set, the Australian broke first and maintained the lead until victory as he reached his first Masters final.
However, everyone will be back at work and on deck tomorrow.
The first set had a few breaks here and there and was very erratic. However, I maintained my composure and gained momentum going into the tiebreaker.
“I don’t know whether my legs would have made it into a third set, so I really needed to win in two sets.”
“He moves very quickly.”
Popyrin defeated Rublev in Monte Carlo last spring on clay, but he is aware of the seed’s significant risk on hardcourts as well.
Rublev remarked, “He plays a tough game on hardcourt.” “He moves very quickly.”
After the rain interrupted his victory over Arnaldi, Rublev returned to the court and, in less than thirty minutes, produced a double break to advance to the championship match.
Regarding the rain delays that have dogged the event, Rublev remarked, “It was worth it, all this week was worth it.”
Being in my first Canadian final makes me happy. All I want to do right now is rest, recover, and get ready for tomorrow.
In two rain-postponed quarterfinal matches, American Korda defeated Alexander Zverev 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-4, and Popyrin defeated Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5. Zverev lost a chance to record his 50th win of the year.
