Noah Rubin won the battle of the teenage Americans, taking his first Challenger title with a comeback 3-6,7-6, 6-3 win over Tommy Paul. Rubin saved two match points, one against his serve in the second set, and another in the tiebreak.
Both are touted as the future stars of American tennis, and both have won junior Grand Slam titles. Rubin won the junior Wimbledon title in 2014, and Paul Roland Garros this year. Paul was also a runner-up against Taylor Fritz in the final of the junior US Open.
Rubin had enjoyed a stunning tournament, defying his position of 537 to beat the likes of Henri Laaksonen and Jared Donaldson to make the final. Paul in contrast had a far easier run, as the seeds on his side of the draw, Malek Jaziri and Tim Smyczek, were defeated before he was due to face either of them.
Paul is ranked the higher, at 316, and the match started by completely following the ranking. Paul dominated from the baseline as a difference in power quickly became apparent. Like his semi-final with Henri Laaksonen, Rubin was struggling to hold serve, and Paul broke twice at the start of the match for a four-love lead. Rubin though has demonstrated a strong return game, and managed to retrieve of the breaks for four-one. Both men settled, as just one point went against serve the rest of the set, Paul serving out to love for a six-three score.
Set two followed a very similar early pattern, as Paul again took the lead. Rubin was serving at above fifty percent, but his serve was not penetrative, and Paul would again break twice in Rubin’s first two games. Rubin again was finding some success on the Paul serve, returning well, and earning nine break points, seven of them coming in game six with Paul serving at four-one. He would fail to take any of them though, as his backhand often failed at the crucial stage, allowing Paul to escape.
The failure to break forced Rubin to address the unenviable task of serving to just stay in the match, and he again he struggled. Another backhand, this time in the net, brought Paul a match point. Rubin fought hard to hold, a final backhand slice from Paul ending in the net, as Rubin added a second hold to his side of the scoreboard.
Rubin’s escape of a match point seemed to give him a little more belief, and he would break Paul as he served for the match to love. Rubin would dig himself out of a fifteen-thirty hole to hold serve, and Paul was forced to try and serve the match out again.
Incredibly, he failed again, as Rubin showed great tenacity to once again force the break, his cause made easier by a pair of double faults from Paul. Both men then held again for a tiebreak. Paul took an early three-love lead in the tiebreak, only for Rubin to return to three-all. Rubin then missed with a forehand up the line when well placed to hand Paul the advantage again at five-four. Again Rubin recovered to five-all, putting away a smash after executing a forehand very similar to the one he missed on the last point, only this time making it. Paul held his second service point to earn another match point against the Rubin serve. He would miss long with a backhand though, and the two would change ends at six-all. A very late line call in favour of Paul on Rubin’s set point had the latter furious, but he won the next point, and then the set, when a Paul backhand found the net.
Rubin received treatment for a back injury between sets, and the treatment seemed to reinvigorate him. He would break in game three as the Paul backhand again failed. Paul then himself took treatment for an issue that looked similar to the one faced by Rubin. Paul continued to struggle though, and Rubin broke again for four-one . Rubin quickly surrendered the double break, though as Paul fought back. Paul then earned another break point to level the match, but framed it long, and Rubin escaped.
Paul’s challenge quickly disappeared after that, and Rubin broke to love, winning his first Challenger title when Paul missed a forehand wide.
Paul will make ground on Francis Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz, two other young Americans moving up the rankings at a torrid pace. Rubin will also gain ground, rising to as high as 350 with the title win.Both have been awarded special exemptions to the main draw of Knoxville next week, again on the Challenger circuit.
