Andrey Rublev’s journey to the Qatar ExxonMobil Open semi-finals was anything but straightforward. The former Doha champion overcame second seed Alex de Minaur in a dramatic 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(8) victory, saving a match point and squandering seven of his own before sealing the win. The match, lasting two hours and 37 minutes, tested Rublev’s resilience as he fought off a late charge from his opponent.
The fifth seed dominated early, breaking De Minaur’s serve with aggressive baseline play. The Australian, known for his speed and counterpunching, struggled to find his rhythm in the opening set. But De Minaur roared back in the second, scrambling to extend rallies and capitalizing on Rublev’s increasing frustration.
The final set was a rollercoaster. Rublev led 5-2 but faltered as De Minaur saved multiple match points and forced a tie-break. The Russian had two more chances to close it out at 5-3 but saw them slip away as De Minaur responded with stunning shot-making. Yet, when it mattered most, Rublev steadied himself, digging deep to secure his first top-10 win since August.
“I know this feeling of saving matches like that,” Rublev admitted afterward. “When you save one crazy match point, everything shifts. But I told myself, ‘Just fight until the end.’”
Rublev has now leveled his head-to-head record with De Minaur at 4-4 and advances to his fourth semi-final in Doha. He will now face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who progressed after Daniil Medvedev withdrew due to food poisoning.
