Andrey Rublev claimed his seventeenth ATP title in Doha final week, hoisting a trophy for the primary time for the reason that earlier spring. The victory delivered a much-needed surge of momentum and confidence for the Russian.
But, this Doha triumph has additionally edged him perilously near an undesirable slice of tennis historical past! Rublev is determined to dodge this doubtful honor, but it surely looms ever bigger.
He now stands simply three titles shy of Brad Gilbert’s unenviable report: essentially the most ATP trophies received with out reaching a Main semi-final. The American sits atop this checklist, having lifted 20 Tour trophies with out ever cracking the ultimate 4 at a Main.
Rublev, inching towards that bittersweet mark, will struggle tooth and nail to steer clear and distance himself from this checklist.
Andrey Rublev clinches the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title with a 7-5 5-7 6-1 victory over Jack Draperpic.twitter.com/OkNfGDiDPN
— Stad Doha (@StadDoha_en) February 22, 2025
Although this report carries little status, it underscores a hanging imbalance in Rublev’s profession – his haul of ATP titles vastly outpaces his achievements on tennis’s grandest phases. The Russian stays 0-10 within the Main quarter-finals.
He has by no means handed that stage in Melbourne, Paris, London or New York. For a two-time Masters 1000 champion and six-time ATP 500 winner, it’s staggering to assume he has by no means contested a Main semi-final, regardless of reaching the final eight ten occasions.
Andrey Rublev, Doha 2025© Stream screenshot
The reason, nonetheless, will not be easy. By the whims of the tennis gods, Rublev has confronted a gauntlet of elite opponents in these quarter-finals. Eight of his ten losses got here in opposition to top-5 gamers, seven of them ranked within the top-4!
Titans like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Jannik Sinner have stood in his approach. Remarkably, Andrey has managed to grab only one set throughout these bruising encounters.
The Russian had two probabilities to cross this enchanted spherical and enter the final 4. He got here agonizingly near the semi-final at Roland Garros 2022. Rublev battled in opposition to Marin Cilic for over 4 hours after heading off a match level within the tenth recreation of the decider.
Doha 2025© Stream screenshot
Andrey squandered a break likelihood in recreation 11 and stood no likelihood within the match tie break, with Cilic seizing management and taking it 10-2. A number of months later, the hero of our story chased the US Open semi-final berth in opposition to Frances Tiafoe.
The house favourite held his nerve in clutch moments, edging out Rublev 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 to maintain the Russian’s Main quarter-final drought intact. In 2023, Andrey dropped three extra quarter-finals to Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.
His newest setback got here eventually 12 months’s Australian Open, the place Jannik Sinner dispatched him in straight units. For all his expertise and tenacity, the Russian’s quest for a Main breakthrough stays tantalizingly out of attain, but it surely may change at some stage of 2025.
