Rublev rallies to beat De Minaur in 5, claims 300th career win
Andrey Rublev extended his perfect start to the season to 8-0 after overcoming World No. 10 Alex de Minaur and a fiercely patriotic home crowd to win a rollercoaster five-setter at the Australian Open Sunday night.
Rublev snapped a five-match losing streak against Top 10 opponents and now will look to convert his 10th Grand Slam quarter-final into his first major semi-final when he meets fourth seed Jannik Sinner Tuesday.Rublev was in danger of crashing out of the year’s first major after losing a dramatic third-set tie-break, but he rebounded by breaking the Australian’s opening service games in the fourth and fifth sets to clinch his 300th match win 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0.
In a critical start to the fifth set, Rublev clubbed four clean winners as he took the first eight points of the set to silence the Australian crowd. Perhaps concerned about the possible onset of cramps as his legs tired and compromised his movement, Rublev unleashed a baseline barrage in the final set to reduce the need to cover his side of the court.
The tactic paid huge dividends, with De Minaur having no answer to the firepower unlike earlier in the match, when his fresher legs and exceptional movement helped him keep pace with Rublev for the first three sets.
