- Andrey Rublev staged a stunning comeback to defeat Alex de Minaur on Sunday
- Russian was two sets to one down before triumphing at the Australian Open
- the 26-year-old will now face Italian Jannik Sinner in Wednesday’s quarter final
Andrey Rublev came back from two sets to one down to defeat Alex de Minaur at the Australian Open.
Home crowd favourite De Minaur was cheered on throughout the scintillating action by his partner Katie Boulter, who was eliminated in the second round of the women’s singles on Thursday.
However, despite clinching the second and third sets, and producing an inch-perfect double-kiss shot to the delight of the supporters in attendance, the 24-year-old would ultimately be outlasted at the Rod Laver Arena.
The World No 5 defeated his rival 6-4 6-7 6-7 6-3 6-0 to book his place against Italian Jannik Sinner in Wednesday’s quarter final.
Speaking following his victory, Rublev heaped praise on his opponent but insisted that he would do ‘everything’ in pursuit of victory.
Andrey Rublev completed a stunning comeback against Alex de Minaur to book his place in the Australian Open quarter finals
After dropping the first set, de Minaur recovered to lead in front of an adoring home crowd
Minaur’s girlfriend Katie Poulter watched on in disbelief as the momentum swung in favour of the World No 5
‘First of all I want to say amazing match to Alex de Minaur,’ He said.
‘Two days ago, I said I hope we’re going to show a great match and spectators will enjoy. Now I have regrets about that!
‘I didn’t expect it to be that enjoyable. When I was losing two sets to one down, I told myself you’re going to die today but you will do everything. Then somehow I started to play better and better and I found more energy and I was able to win.’
The pair previously met at in the last eight of the ATP Paris Masters back in November, and Rublev added the World No10’s speed is his most dangerous attribute on the court.
‘It’s always tough to play against Alex,’ he continued.
‘We played a couple of times and all of them were dramatic like now. He’s one of the fastest players.
‘The way he moves with the legs and take the speed is crazy. You can see that it was super tough to play. I’m just happy to be in the quarter-finals and we’ll see what happens.
