Andrey Rublev staged an emphatic fightback against Holger Rune to become the first Russian man to win the Monte Carlo Masters since 1990.
The world No.7 recovered from a set down to prevail 5-7, 6-2, 7-5, over his 19-year-old rival in a marathon encounter that lasted more than two-and-a-half hours. Rublev found himself on the verge of defeat in the decider after falling behind 1-4 and then Rune had a point to get a double break. Despite the threat, he staged an epic comeback to draw level before going on to win the most prestigious Tour title in his career and his 13th overall.
“I don’t know what to say, to be honest. I am just happy. Finally after struggling so much to win this fricking Masters 1000 tournament,” Rublev told TennisTV.
“Losing 4-1 (in the third set), 0-30, saving break points and thinking that I have no chance to win. Somehow I did it.” He added.
It is fitting that Monte Carlo has become the venue of Rublev’s first Master’s triumph given his history at the tournament. In 2021 he reached the final before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. In his latest match against Rune, he hit a total of 30 winners against 23 unforced errors and saved four out of the eight break points he faced.
“I remember the previous final. Mentally I was not ready. When I was losing I was thinking that I have no chance to win anymore and I was going completely down mentally,” the new champion said of his past misfortunes.
“Today I was thinking that if I lost, I have to at least believe (in myself) until the end. That’s what I tried to do in the third set, hoping that I had one extra chance to come back. In the end, I was able to do it.”
The Monte Carlo showdown was the second time the two players have locked horns on the Tour this year. Rublev also edged past Rune at the Australian Open by saving two match points before prevailing 11-9 in the final set tiebreaker. However, Rune won their first meeting at last year’s Paris Masters.
Taking to the court, Rune battled his way through a roller-coaster opener which saw 12 break points opportunities, eight of which were in Rublev’s favour. The Dane appeared slightly weary following his late-night win over Jannik Sinner just 24 hours earlier. Nevertheless, he was the first player to break in the final by hitting a thunderous forehand return which moved him ahead 4-2. However, the lead was short-lived as Rublev broke back instantly to level proceedings once again.
Matching each other game-by-game, the set looked destined for a tiebreaker before a stroke of luck in Rune’s favour occurred. Leading 6-5, 30-30, a shot from him brushed the baseline and forced his rival to return the ball into the net. Earning his first set point, the world No.9 then closed out the opener with the help of an error from Rublev.
The cat-and-mouse chase continued into the second frame. After returning from a toilet break, Rublev went off guns blazing by breaking instantly for a 2-0 lead and was a point away from securing the double break but failed to seize that opportunity. Meanwhile, Rune once again weathered the storm as he clawed his way back to level 2-2 which visibly frustrated his opponent who at times glared towards his camp in the crowd.
However, a relentless Rublev pushed ahead once more as he forced the match into the decider with Rune beginning to implode on the court by hitting a series of below-par shots. A three-game winning streak rewarded him the chance to serve the set out which he did with relative ease.
Despite the blip, Rune came out fighting in the decider where he surged to a 4-1 lead before having a brief medical timeout to consume some tablets. Presumably, this was due to cramping. In the following game, he moved to a point away from a 5-1 lead before yet another twist unfolded with Rublev bouncing back yet again to level at 4-4.
The drama continued towards the closing stages with Rune being hit with a code violation for firing two tennis balls out of the stadium in anger after hitting two consecutive smashes into the net. Meanwhile, Rublev moved to a game from victory before sealing the win with an ace on his second championship point. Prompting him to drop to the floor in delight.
“I know it’s tough to lose a final but, man, you’re too freaking young and you already have a Masters 1000 title, at least allow me to have this one,” Rublev said to Rune afterwards during the trophy ceremony.
Rublev is only the third player in history to have won both his semi-final and final matches at the Monte Carlo Masters by recovering from a set down. The other two to do this were Illie Nastase in 1971 and Ivan Lendl in 1988.
