Rublev recorded an outstanding 12 aces in the match and committed not a single double fault.
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Russian tennis player and sixth seed Andrey Rublev stormed into the third round of the 2023 Miami Open with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win over Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic on Sunday. Rublev recorded an outstanding 12 aces in the match and committed not a single double fault. The Russian registered win percentages of 84% and 57% on the first and second serves respectively. He also returned four out of eight break points, winning eight service games in the process.
The 58-minute match ended with the Russian extending his head to head advantage over Kecmanovic to 2-0. Despite being one of the best players in the world at the moment, Rublev is yet to win a Miami Open title in his career. Coming off the back of a fourth round exit at the Indian Wells earlier this month, the 25-year-old has been chomping at the bit to get his hands on the ATP 1000 crown.
He had faced a tricky test in JJ Wolf in the first round of the competition. The American, who was playing on home soil, started the match on a positive note. However, his momentum was not enough to contend with the superior skill of Rublev, who won 7-6 (7-3), 6-4. “It’s a great feeling, because I didn’t know what to expect and it was my first match here,” said Rublev after his win over Wolf. “I didn’t have much time to adapt. I know he’s dangerous, that he can play really well and really aggressive.”
“As soon as we started to play I was losing, so it was not easy. At the end I was happy that I was able to keep calm inside, and I was just waiting for my moment [in the first set]. As soon as I had the moment I was able to make it, and then I started to play a bit better and I started to feel more confident,” he added.
Rublev is yet to win a single trophy so far this season on tour. Although it is early days, that statistic will be cause for concern for a player of the sixth seed’s caliber. The closest he came to winning a championship this season was at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The 25-year-old had reached the final of the competition where he was defeated by compatriot and former world no. 1, Daniil Medvedev.
Despite that, the Russian is still one of the most skillful players in the world and he seems to have hit his stride in Miami. Although there are a number of athletes like Carlos Alcaraz, Medvedev, Jannik Sinner and others that could eventually go on to win the competition, Rublev is one of the favourites and will be hoping to deliver on his fans’ expectations.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Russian’s latest victory:
