Tennis
Yes, this cannot be! Crazy Rublev pulled out a dead match at the Grand Slam
Andrei lost 0:5 in the tie-break of the decisive set and nevertheless reached the quarterfinals. How is that even possible?
Do you want to fully experience the meaning of the expression “iron character”? Just watch the fourth round match of the Australian Open with Andrey Rublev. And don’t try to figure out how he managed to win by losing 2-5 in the deciding set and then 0-5 in the tie-break.
It is unlikely that even Andrei himself understands how he created a real sports miracle.
Rublev and Khachanov brightened up the loss of Medvedev
The main hopes of Russian fans at the Australian Open were associated with Daniil Medvedev, who in recent years has accustomed him to big victories and outstanding performances at major tournaments. The finalist of last year’s draw did not live up to expectations, losing in the third round to the American Sebastian Korda. However, the frustration over Medvedev’s departure was quickly replaced by joy at the cool performance of the other two Russians.
Karen Khachanov is amazingly confident with his opponents, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time in his career. There he is about to meet Medvedev’s offender.
Andrei Rublev, seeded at number five, unlike his friend and compatriot, has repeatedly been in the top eight at the Grand Slam tournaments, but lost all six quarterfinals. For the opportunity to get the seventh attempt, Rublev fought with the young Dane Holger Rune, to whom many predict leadership in the world rankings and a scattering of victories at the Grand Slam.
Bookmakers gave a slight advantage to the Dane, but in general the chances of the players looked about equal. Andrei is six years older than his opponent, four positions higher in the rating and much more titled, however, the only face-to-face fight, which took place just two months ago, ended with Rune’s victory in two sets.
Predictable kill
An easy victory for any of the tennis players would be a big surprise, given their close level and the significance of the meeting. Rublev entered the court as charged as possible, from the very beginning he acted actively and tried to crush Rune with pressure. Holger responded to the break of the Russian, but Andrei did not fall apart and brought the game to victory – 6:3. Rublev started the second set with three break points, but did not take advantage of the chance, and soon gave up the game on his serve. Rune at that moment looked preferable and took the set – 6:3.
In the third installment, Rublev added to the game on the pitch, without giving the opponent a single opportunity to make a break. The Dane faltered in the sixth game, after which the Russian methodically completed the set in his favor – 6:3. The ending of the fourth set was dramatic. Holger lost a game on his serve, serving for a set, but immediately made a break and turned the battle into the fifth game.
Rublev did the impossible… twice!
After the rescue, the Dane clearly caught the courage, acting more accurately and more consistently than Rublev. Andrey, it seemed, was very tired and lost the initiative. With a score of 5:2 in favor of the Scandinavian, only desperate optimists believed in the success of the Russian. However, Andrei, being on the edge of the abyss, turned on the beast mode and took the game to zero on Rune’s serve, after which he equalized the score – 5:5. The fate of a ticket to the quarterfinals was decided in a tie-break, where Rune took five draws in a row. Salvation in such a situation is pure fantasy even for women’s tennis, and in men’s tennis such stories can be completely counted on the fingers.
Rublev could only not give up and hope for a miracle. And it happened! Andrey equalized the score, went to the match points and finished the meeting on the third attempt. After the final draw, Rublev fell onto the court and lay for several seconds, as if not believing in what he had done.
After the match, the Russian tennis player admitted that he felt as if a gun was put to his head. He also said that he would remember this meeting for the rest of his life.
For the right to play in the semi-finals of the Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career, Rublev will compete with either Novak Djokovic or Alexis de Minor. It will be difficult, but now we know that Andrei is capable of anything. And most importantly, he knows it himself!
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
January 25 Ukraine Elina Svitolina won against Mirra Andreeva In the 1/8 final at the Australian Open.
Elina won in two sets with scores of 6:2 and 6:4 in 1 hour 24 minutes. Svitolina faced Andreeva for the second time and defeated the Russian for the first time.
The best moments of tennis matches LIVE on Telegram channel Tennis on Sport.ua
Spor.ua invites you to familiarize yourself with the photo gallery of the confrontation between Svitolin and Andreev!
Elina will compete against world number three Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
🏆 Australian Open 2026. 1/8 final
Elina Svitolina [12] – 🏳️ Mirra Andreeva [8] – 6:2, 6:4
PHOTOGRAPH. He pushed another Russian woman away. How it happened: Svitolina beat Andreeva
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
January 25, Australian Open 2026 Ukrainian youth started.
In the main draws of the competition, Ukraine is represented by one tennis player and three tennis players: Nikita Belozertsev, Antonina Sushkova, Sofia Belinskaya and Polina Sklyar.
All four Ukrainian teenagers won their starting matches and advanced to the 1/16 final.
Australian Open 2026. Youth
R1: Nikita Belozertsev [6] – Aaro Gabet [Q] – 6:4, 6:1
R2: Nikita Belozertsev [6] – Vihaan Reddy
R1: Antonina Sushkova – Zhang Qian Wei – 7:6 (7:1), 6:4
R2: Antonina Sushkova – Ellen Hirschi
R1: Polina Sklyar [Q] – Teresa Germanova – 6:4, 6:2
R2: Polina Sklyar [Q] – Ksenia Efremova [3]
R1: Sofia Belinskaya – Emily Chen [WC] – 6:3, 6:4
R2: Sofia Belinskaya – Maia Ilinka Burcescu
Nikita Belozertsev and Polina Sklyar performed in the doubles tournament on Sunday. Unfortunately, no one made it to the second round.
Antonina Sushkova and Sofia Belinskaya will also compete in the girls’ doubles category; They will face each other in the first round.
Australian Open 2026. Couples. Youth
Nikita Belozertsev / Jamie Mackenzie- Ymerali İbrahimi / Cooper Pouch [WC] – 6:7 (6:8), 6:4, [5:10]
Polina Sklyar / Aishi Das- Mariella Tamm / Zhang Rui’en [6] – 5:7, 7:6 (7:2), [6:10]
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina She held a press conference after defeating Mirra Andreeva in the 1/8 final of the Australian Open 2026:
– Elina, congratulations on reaching the quarter-finals here for the fourth time. What does it feel like?
– Yeah, that’s great. Another chance to play in the semi-finals. But I am very happy with the match, and I am also very happy with my performance today. I think I implemented the plan well. I am very pleased with the result.
– Your next opponent will be Coco. If we talk about the preparations for this match in terms of temperature, I believe that the conditions will be similar to yesterday, at the same temperature. I know you don’t know when and where you’ll play yet. How do you prepare for conditions where temperatures will be very high?
– I didn’t actually think about it. I tried to prepare for today’s match. Someone told me a few days ago that it would be hot on Tuesday. So I’ll have to prepare. I think the preparations will start tomorrow with fluid intake and trying to stay calm. I think it’s important to prepare as much as you can, but we’ll both be in the same conditions. It is important to use tomorrow just to rest and prepare for this intense heat.
– You had incredible matches with Coco. What are your expectations and what do you need to do to reach your target semi-final?
– I need to discuss the plan with the coach and understand how to implement it. We had difficult matches, the last two I think were in three sets. We made the final in Auckland and the US Open a few years ago. We know each other’s game well. It is important to work on some points tomorrow, meet with the coach and be prepared for extreme heat. We will play not only against each other, but also against the conditions in which we will have to play in the heat.
– Is it more convenient for you to play in the daylight or under the roof?
– Of course, it’s better to play later. But I don’t decide the program. Maybe one match will be in the afternoon and the other in the evening. In the evening the weather is more pleasant, although the ball will still fly faster due to the heat, but in general everything will be fine.
– Considering the previous three quarter-finals, what does it mean to you to reach the semi-finals?
“Of course it means a lot to me, but I don’t want to think about it too much.” This is another opportunity to go far in the tournament. I want to focus on recovery and the game plan I need to execute well. These are my priorities now. If everything goes well, we will have a chance to win the next match.
– What gives you the confidence that you can take your game a step or two further?
– We did our pre-season preparations well. We worked on a lot of things on tactical issues. It was important to analyze what went well in 2025 and understand what could be improved and how. We worked with statistics, looked at where I could improve my serving, receiving and other aspects of the game. It opened my eyes to some things that I continue to work on. Everything is going well but the year is long, we have to keep going. The main priority is to stay in shape.
We made our pre-season preparations well. We worked on a few things. We worked on many tactical issues. It was important for me in 2025 to analyze what I did well and try to find where and how I could improve; We noticed a few tactical points. We worked with statistics to understand where I could improve my serving, receiving and overall game. It’s really opened my eyes to some things and I’m trying to work on them. I think it’s working so far but it’s been a long year so I need to keep going. I think the priority is still to stay fit.
– In your match against Mirra today, you won 15 of 20 points on her second serve – 75%. Was this planned? How much did that help you win in straight sets?
“It was important for me to apply pressure. Because if I let him get ahead in the rally, he can hit the ball very well to score points. He knows how to win matches, how to win tournaments. So for me it was important to try to take the initiative first and find a way to win because he is a very cunning tennis player. He changes the tempo, the length of the strokes. So you have to adapt very quickly and make split-second decisions to go to the ball or direct the ball to the right place.”
– Today Alexandra Oleynikova again commented on the situation with the war and stated that she was not happy that Arina Sabalenka had large advertising contracts. Do you have any thoughts about Russian and Belarusian players, their sponsorship deals and participation in Tours?
“I really have nothing to say about this.” I don’t know exactly what you said, so I don’t know.
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
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