Andrey Rublev extended his ATP 500 winning streak to 21 matches on Tuesday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Emil Ruusuvuori at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The World No. 8 dropped just five points behind his first serve (27/32) to record his 14th win from 16 matches this season. With his 21st consecutive win at ATP 500 events, Rublev tied Andy Murray for the second-longest winning streak at the tournament level (since 2009). The only player to own a longer run of ATP 500 victories is Roger Federer (28).
Rublev is chasing his fifth consecutive ATP 500 title this week. Two weeks ago, the 23-year-old defeated Marton Fucsovics to win the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. Rublev also lifted titles at his final three ATP 500 tournament appearances of 2020 in Hamburg, St. Petersburg and Vienna.
The eight-time ATP Tour titlist earned a single break in each set to book his place in the third round. Rublev fired a backhand winner up the line and took advantage of double faults to break in the first game of the match. The Moscow native stepped inside the baseline and dictated rallies with his forehand to make the crucial breakthrough at 3-3 in the second set.
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Rublev will meet 15th seed Taylor Fritz or Qatar ExxonMobil Open champion Nikoloz Basilashvili in the third round. Basilashvili earned a straight-sets semi-final victory against Fritz en route to the Doha title last week.
Dusan Lajovic won 81 per cent of his first-serve points (25/31) to beat 2018 semi-finalist Malek Jaziri 7-5, 6-2. The Serbian will meet sixth seed Pablo Carreno Busta or Fucsovics for a place in the quarter-finals.