Andrey Rublev underlined his credentials as a force to be reckoned with after a hard-fought victory over Ugo Humbert to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
On a Centre Court crackling with noise, the 2022 winner prevailed 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 in a contest that swung on fine margins and a handful of decisive moments. For Rublev, a two-time finalist in Dubai, the performance signalled not only resilience but renewed belief at a venue where he has long felt at home.
Humbert, himself a former champion after edging Alexander Bublik to the 2024 title, arrived brimming with confidence. Just 24 hours earlier, the Frenchman had eliminated defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and was seeking to topple another former winner. Instead, he found Rublev in uncompromising mood.
The opening exchanges unfolded on serve, the rhythm of the match accompanied by a lively chorus from the near-capacity crowd. Cries of “Let’s go, Andrey” and “Allez, Ugo” echoed around the stadium as both men traded clean groundstrokes and confident holds.
As so often at this level, the seventh game of the set proved pivotal. Humbert, the world No 37, blinked first, serving up two double faults that handed Rublev break points. The Russian seized his opportunity, breaking serve with clinical precision – something Tsitsipas had failed to achieve in their previous-round meeting. From there, Rublev protected his advantage with authority to close out the set 6-4 after 41 minutes.
The second followed a similar pattern, both players guarding their serves with minimal fuss. When the set moved into a tie-break, it was Humbert who edged the critical points, claiming it 7-5 to level the match and ignite hopes of another upset.
In the deciding set, Rublev found an extra gear. Locked at 1-1, he held serve before breaking Humbert with a burst of clean returns, then consolidated to move 4-1 ahead. Though Humbert steadied to keep the deficit to a single break, the match tilted decisively towards the former champion.
Serving for the match at 5-3, Rublev wobbled briefly, facing two break points as tension tightened. But the 28-year-old responded with authority, firing down three huge serves – including two aces – to erase the danger and earn match point. A final booming delivery forced a Humbert error and sealed victory after two hours and 18 minutes.
“It was a very dramatic ending,” Rublev said. “I’m really happy I was able to keep going and save the last game. It’s difficult to close a match; you can make a double-fault or a mistake, but I made three good serves and that helped me a lot.”
Reflecting on the challenge posed by Humbert, he added: “Ugo played really well. I had to be ready for the one chance to break him in a set. This match gives me a lot of confidence.”
Rublev will next face France’s Arthur Rinderknech, who overcame British fourth seed Jack Draper in a gruelling three-set encounter that stretched beyond midnight. Rinderknech edged a contest defined by razor-thin margins, securing the only two breaks of serve in a 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 victory.
Elsewhere, Tallon Griekspoor delivered the day’s biggest upset, dismissing second seed Alexander Bublik 6-3, 7-5 to set up a quarter-final against Czech sixth seed Jakub Mensik.
