Rublev 'putting emotions in right direction' after beating Fritz to reach final

Andrey Rublev said his impressive run to the Madrid Open final is down to improved mental strength after eliminating Taylor Fritz in the last four.

The world No. 8, who is known for displaying his emotions on court, was on a four-match losing streak heading into the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

But he has only dropped one set on his way to the final in the Spanish capital, overcoming Fritz 6-4 6-3 in a dominant 73-minute semi-final performance on Friday.

Fritz started well, breaking Rublev in the opening game of the encounter. But the seventh seed responded quickly, targeting his opponent’s second serve to immediately reclaim the break.

Rublev hardly looked back, breaking Fritz again in the 10th game to take the first set.

The second set lasted just over half an hour as Rublev kept his opponent at bay, building on an impressive quarter-final victory against home favourite Carlos Alcaraz.

“Mentally I was feeling much better and I was able to perform,” said Rublev, when asked for the reason behind his resurgence in form.

“Putting emotions in the right direction. For sure it has helped me to reach the final. Without this, I would not be in the final.”

Standing in the way of Rublev and a second career Masters 1000 title is Felix Auger-Aliassime, who progressed to the final after his opponent Jiri Lehecka was forced to retire with a back injury.

Just six games had gone by when Lehecka left the court for treatment from a physio, throwing in the towel shortly afterwards.

It meant that Auger-Aliassime has played just three full matches to reach his maiden Masters final. Jakub Mensik retired in the second set of their third-round match, while Jannik Sinner was unable to play their quarter-final clash due to a hip injury.

“It’s crazy. I don’t know if it’s ever happened to a player before,” said Auger-Aliassime. “It’s kind of a weird situation to be in on my part.

“It’s never happened to me in my career so far, a withdrawal or a walkover or retirement of this sort, and back-to-back like this. I couldn’t believe what was happening when I saw his back locked on him.

“I feel really bad for him. I’ve had injuries myself, and we can all imagine how it feels to come out on a night like this, hoping to win to go through, having a battle with your opponent, and not being able to play.

“I have a lot of empathy for Jiri, and I can’t do anything but try to prepare for Sunday.”