Rublev runs down Fritz for Madrid finals place

Andrey Rublev pounded 20 winners as he eliminated Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3  in Madrid to move into his fifth final at the ATP Masters level.

The seventh seed needed just 73 minutes to advance into the Sunday title match when he will play Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Rublev has definitively buried a four-match loss streak coming into date in the Spanish capital, defeating home favourite and former No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.

“Mentally I was feeling much better and I was able to perform,” Rublev said in victory. (I put my) emotions in the right direction. 

“For sure that helped me to reach the final – without this, I would not be there.”

The 13th-ranked Californian Taylor was somewhat out of his element on the Caja Magica clay and was unable to capitalise after converting an early break point.

But Rublev got it straight back and used that as a springboard to the quick-fire victory 

“I started really tight. I missed a couple of returns, a couple of easy shots, but it is part of sport and part of tennis,” he said.

“On one break point I played well, and somehow it was 1-1. Then the match was equal until the end of the set.”

Rublev saved two break points in the opening game of the second set and then broke Fritz for a 4-2 lead on the way to victory.

The winner improved to 10-3 at the pre-Roland Garros clay test in the slight altitude of the capital.