The curious case of Andrey Rublev in the Doha tournament

It is never easy to get to the rounds of a tournament, but what sounds like science fiction is to do it without even stepping on the track. Is what has happened to Andrey Rublev at the ATP 250 in Doha, since the Russian has assured his presence in the semifinals without having played a single match on the court. An unprecedented event in the entire history of the tournament.

But how is this possible? As one of the top seeds of the tournament, Rublev was exempt from playing the first round. From there, fortune was on his side to pave his way in the following rounds. He saved the round of 16 against Richard Gasquet due to the Frenchman's withdrawal due to a foot injury. His rival in the quarterfinals, Marton Fucsovics, did not appear either. on the track due to back discomfort that he dragged from his encounter against Lloyd Harris.

According to data from the ATP circuit, this event is already part of tennis history. And is that For the first time since 1990, a player passes two rounds in a row by forfeit of their rivals. Thus, if no other setback prevents it, Fernando Vicente's pupil will debut in Doha this Friday against the Spanish Roberto Bautista.