I’m Andrey Rublev and Felix Auger-Aliassime the finalists of the Masters 1000 in Madrid. This is the outcome of the semi-finals played at the Caja Magica, one of which lasted just 33 minutes. Jiri Leheckain fact, he retired after just six games played against Auger-Aliassime due to a back problem. A match that ended in tears for the Czech, in his first career semi-final in a Masters 1000, who had asked for a medical timeout after the fifth game. Auger Aliassime thus hits the first “Mille” final in his career without playing quarter-finals and semi-finals given that the Canadian had already benefited from the walkover in the quarter-finals after Sinner’s withdrawal.
Rublev eliminates Fritz: 25th career final
Twenty-fifth career final (the fifth in a Masters 1000), however, for Andrey Rublev. The Russian beat the American Taylor Fritz, n. 12 seeding, with a clear 6-4, 6-3 in just under an hour and a quarter of play. A match that confirmed Rublev’s extraordinary form, fresh from the victory against Alcaraz in the quarter-finals. The Muscovite was perfect against a Fritz who was often too passive in his shifts of service and with just 55% of firsts on the pitch. In the first set, the break to zero in favor of Rublev in the tenth game was decisive, as he did well to break the American’s serve also in the sixth game of the second set, taking advantage of the push on the forehand.
