Andrey Rublev won the title of the strong tennis tournament of the Masters 1000 series in Madrid. In the final in the Spanish capital, the seventh-seeded Russian overcame the debutant in this phase, Felix Auger-Aliassime, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in nearly two hours and 50 minutes.
Rublev, who had been battling illness and physical problems all week, rallied to come away with the victory against the Canadian. The start was decidedly for Auger-Aliassime, who led 4-1 after two breaks. His opponent returned one of them, but that was all from Rublev in the opening part. The second set was game for game when the Russian hit a decisive break in the 12th game to restore parity. The third set unfolded in an identical way - the two did not mess up on their own serve just before the tiebreak, when Rublev was again more solid at the end to win the title.
It is his second in the Masters 1000 series after the one in Monte Carlo a year ago and the 16th overall of his career. Auger-Aliassime failed to pick up a first Masters trophy on his debut finals appearance and is left with five titles in his bag, the latest of which came at the Basel tournament in October. Having lost the first eight finals of his career, the Canadian's record is now 5/7.
The Rome Masters starts on Wednesday, May 8, and the French Open begins on May 26. /BGNES
