DUBAI: Andrey Rublev, the No. 5 seed at this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, progressed to his fifth semifinal in the city on Thursday night.
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Only Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have achieved this benchmark in the ATP 500 tournament’s 34-year history.
The 28-year-old secured the milestone with a 6-2, 6-4 dismissal of Arthur Rinderknech at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, blending his trademark ferocious, front-foot groundstrokes with sharp instincts all over the fast-playing center court.
Though known for detonating forehands from the baseline, the world No. 18 demonstrated versatility, finishing points with a mixture of precision and power. At times, Rublev appeared like a robot programmed to return, never quite knowing when to surrender a point and retain his energy.
