By Alberto Amalfi | Saturday, October 19, 2019
Andrey Rublev snapped Marin Cilic's 10-match Moscow winning streak 7-5, 6-4 to set up a Kremlin Cup final vs. seventh-seeded Adrian Mannarino.
Photo credit: KremlinCup.ru
Andrey Rublev toppled a two-time champion to march into his hometown final.
The 21-year-old Moscow native snapped Marin Cilic's 10-match Moscow winning streak 7-5, 6-4 to set up a Kremlin Cup final vs. seventh-seeded Adrian Mannarino.
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“[It was] an insanely difficult and nervous match," Rublev told the media in Moscow. "I am glad I could handle the pressure and win.
"Mannarino will play in the finals for the second time in a row. He is a dangerous rival. I’ll try to do my best.”
Earlier, the seventh-seeded Mannarino swept Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-4.
The left-handed Frenchman has not surrendered a set rolling into his second straight Moscow final.
Last year, Mannarino was runner-up to Russian Karen Khachanov.
Tomorrow, Mannarino will try to defeat fan favorite Rublev, who is playing for his first title since he won the 2017 Umag crown.