The seven-time champion in Cincinnati, Roger Federer lost to Andrey Rublev in the third round. This is by far the biggest sensation in the tennis world, as the young Russian outplayed the legend in 63 minutes of play, 6-3, 6-4.
Federer, the most dominant player here at Western and Southern Open, couldn’t match the 21-year old rival, who was fired up right from the start.
It was apparent right from the start that Federer isn’t playing well. Rublev broke his serve immediately and got a 2-0 lead. Somehow Federer managed to respond and win one game, but that was just a shot spark in his game because Rublev once again won two straight games and increased the lead to 4-1.
Eventually, the first part of the contest ended with 6-3, with the youngster convincingly holding the lead until the end.
The second set was a bit better for Federer, but he still couldn’t find a way to break the serve from his opponent. Again, it was the Russian who did that first, in the seventh game, and from that moment on, he started dictating the tempo. Shortly after that, he finished the match, and posted one of his biggest wins ever.
“It’s my biggest and the most emotional win,” Rublev said. “The true champion and legend he is… I can’t imagine every day how much pressure you have.”
Rublev had lost only four points on his serve in the second set, and his consistency was at the highest possible level. There was no way for the much experienced Federer to find a crack in his defense and to force him to make some mistakes. He admitted that at the press conference, and praised his opponent, choosing nothing but kind words.
“He was super clean. Defense, offense, serving well. Didn’t give me anything. He was everywhere. So it was tough for me, but excellent match by him. I was impressed,” Federer said.
Rublev is eager to get back among the best players in the world. His potential is huge, and if it weren’t for the injury problems he experienced last and this season, the Russian might have already reached the top 10. His form is going up now, and following the finals at the Hamburg Open where he lost to Basilashvili, it appears that another solid result is on the way.
Back in Germany, he defeated Dominic Thiem, and along with a victory over Federer, this indicates that Rublev might be some sort of a surprise in the upcoming tournaments, especially the US Open.
His next opponent in Cincinnati will be Daniil Medvedev, and the two guys are childhood friends. In this situation, that won’t matter though.
Federer, meanwhile, has to forget this loss and focus on New York. Flushing Meadows is the last chance for him to win a Grand Slam this year, and keep his distance between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal when it comes to the number of Grand Slam titles. There is no doubt that the Swiss might feel tired, but there are no options for him at this stage.
