Andrey Rublev, the fifth-ranked player globally, competed as an independent player at the Australian Open and smoothly progressed to the tournament’s Round of 16.
Facing off against 26th-ranked American Sebastian Korda, a 23-year-old tennis talent, Rublev demonstrated dominance by winning the first set 6-2. The second set saw a more closely contested battle, with Korda falling short in the tiebreak at 6-8. Rublev ultimately sealed the victory with a 6-4 triumph in the decisive set.
The entire match took precisely 2 hours for Rublev to secure his advancement. In the Round of 16, Rublev is set to go up against the tenth-ranked Australian player, Alex de Minaur. It will definitely will be his first serious test this year in Melbourne, as it is certain that the crowd will be against him, because De Minaur is the only Australian player left in the tournament both in the women’s and men’s single tournaments.