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World No. 7 Andrey Rublev indicated playing Sonwoo Kwon was tougher than the final result might suggest. Rublev, a former world No. 5, cruised past Kwon 6-3 6-3 to reach the Rotterdam quarterfinal. Rublev, 24, is now three wins away from defending his Rotterdam title.
It was the first meeting between Rublev and world No. 53 Kwon. “The first set was a high level with long, high intensity rallies,” Rublev said in his on-court interview, per the ATP website. “My heart was beating fast.
I am happy I was able to win the match in straight sets. He likes to play from the baseline and from the first point we had long rallies. You quickly realise it is going to be a tough match and that you are going to need to run a lot”.
Rublev got the job done against Kwon
Rublev blew four break points in the fourth game but broke Kwon in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. Rublev saved four break points in the seventh game, before serving out for the opener in the ninth game.
After winning the first set, Rublev broke Kwon twice in the second set to get the job in straight sets. Rublev plays next against the winner of the match between Tallon Griekspoor and Marton Fucsovics. Qualifier Jiri Lehecka joined Rublev on the winners' circle as he beat Botic Van De Zandschulp 1-6 6-4 6-4.
“I tried to play my best and as we saw in the second and third sets, it was good," Lehecka said in his on-court interview. "In the first set, they were many bad choices from my side and my serve didn’t work well.
In the second set I focused on improving my serve and first few shots after the serve and return. It was a pretty good match and I am happy with the win”. Rublev is playing well and he is a candidate to win back-to-back titles in Rotterdam. It remains to be seen if Rublev can win back-to-back Rotterdam titles.