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Second seed next faces Molcan
Andrey Rublev maintained his perfect start to the clay-court swing on Friday when he defeated Bosnian wild card Damir Dzumhur 7-5, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals at the Srpska Open.

The second seed lifted his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo last week and has continued to play aggressive, front-foot tennis in Banja Luka.

Rublev, who dispatched Juan Pablo Varillas in his opening match, overcame a tough test from home favourite Dzumhur, who was competing in his first tour-level quarter-final of the year. He railed from 2-5 in the first set, saving one set point at 4-5, before he fended off all four break points he faced in the second set to earn his seventh consecutive win after one hour and 52 minutes.

"We have always had tough battles and today was the same," Rublev said. "I was losing 2-5 and I was able to come back. It was a tough match. A lot of long games and a lot of long rallies but in the end I was able to win and that is the most important thing."


With his 20th win of the season, Rublev improved to 5-0 in his ATP Head2Head series against Dzumhur. Seeking his 14th tour-level title and fifth on clay, the World No. 6 will next face Alex Molcan.

Second seed will face Kecmanovic or Lajovic in Sunday's title match

Andrey Rublev advanced to his second final in as many weeks with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Alex Molcan on Saturday at the Srpska Open. One week after claiming his biggest title in Monte-Carlo, the Banja Luka second seed has continued his red-hot form by reaching the title match without losing a set.

"In the beginning I played really well, and then second set a lost a bit of focus," Rublev assessed. "Alex played a few good games and I started to get tight, I started to get nervous. But in the end I was able to win and that's the most important thing."

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The 25-year-old is bidding to join Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev in the club of multiple tour-level titlists in 2023. He could also become the fifth man this season to win an ATP Tour trophy without losing a set, with either Miomir Kecmanovic or Dusan Lajovic to stand in his way in Sunday's final.

"Of course it's always good to finish in two sets, to not play three sets, a long match, because physically you get exhausted," the World No. 6 said of his efficiency. "The deeper you go, it's better if you play two sets because you're fresher for the end of the tournament."

Now 21-8 on the year, Rublev is 16-3 in his past 19 matches with an eight-match winning streak over the past two weeks.


Rublev saved nine of 11 break points against Molcan, including all five he faced in the opening set, while converting five of his 11 break chances on return. His baseline power overwhelmed the Slovakian early, with Rublev building a 5-1 lead in the first set and a 3-1 advantage in set two.

But Molcan settled in as the match wore on and broke in consecutive return games in an eventful close to the second set. From 3-2, four straight games went the way of the returner. At 4-4, Rublev battled through six deuces and landed the decisive blow on his fourth break point of that marathon game, managing his emotions well after a few frustrating misses.

From 30/30 in the final game, Rublev powered through the finish line with a big forehand and a fifth ace on match point.

Molcan, playing in his first semi-final of the season, was seeking his first ATP Tour title and a fourth final this week.

Watch full ATP Uncovered video
Andrey Rublev has become a fans’ favourite. Much to his supporters’ delight, the 25-year-old was put on the hot seat in this week’s edition of ATP Uncovered.

Stars from the ATP Tour and the Hologic WTA Tour provided questions for Rublev to answer.

“Seeing Daniil on video, I don’t like it already,” Rublev said when his close friend Daniil Medvedev popped up on the screen.

Read & Watch More From ATP Uncovered

Little did Rublev know that Medvedev would ask three questions, whether the World No. 6 liked it or not.

Medvedev was not the only one who asked cheeky questions. One player wanted to know, “Why do you make that one really distinct noise when you grunt?”

Find out who asked that question, Rublev's answer and more by watching the full feature above.