Russian Andrey Rublev beat Canadian Denis Shapovalov in three sets (4-6, 6-3-6 and 6-4) and became the first finalist of the St. Petersburg Tennis Open, which this year, in its 25th edition, rose to the ATP 500 category.
After giving up the first set, in which “Shapo”, as the Canadian player is known, made his powerful first serve a practically indisputable weapon, Rublev re-entered the match in the second set. The Russian tennis player, 21, who debuted as “top ten” In the tournament of the former capital of the tsars, he managed to break Shapoválov's serve for the first time in the fourth game of the second round and kept his service until the end of the duel, which lasted two hours and nine minutes.
“It was a very difficult game, as you have seen,” Rublev said at the end of the match, noting that his rival could also have won the victory. Tomorrow's will be the fourth final of the year for the Russian tennis player, who has won the previous three he has played. Rublev He will face Croatian Borna Coric for the title, that surprised Canadian Milos Raonic after coming back from an adverse set: 1-6, 6-1 and 6-4.