By Adrianna Outlaw | Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Reigning champion Andrey Rublev saved all seven break points he faced stopping Ilya Ivashka 6-4, 6-4 to reach the St. Petersburg quarterfinals for the third time.
Photo credit: @Formula_TX/St. Petersburg Open
Andrey Rublev launched defense of his St. Petersburg title going on the offensive.
The top-seeded Rublev saved all seven break points he faced stopping Ilya Ivashka 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the St. Petersburg quarterfinals for the third time.
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It's the sixth straight St. Petersburg win for Rublev, who raised his 2021 record to 48-18.
Playing first-strike tennis with conviction, Rublev ripped 10 aces and surrendered just six points on first serve in an 89-minute victory.
It was Rublev's second win over Winston-Salem champion Ivashka following a 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory at the 2019 St. Petersburg.
The sixth-ranked Rublev will play either eighth-seeded Sebastian Korda or Botic van de Zandschulp for a semifinal spot.
Second-seeded Denis Shapovalov streaked through seven straight games sealing a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 win over Pablo Andujar.
“Definitely very tough to play Pablo [in the opener] of a tournament,” Shapovalov said. “He’s a great player. It was a tough start to the match; I didn’t feel so great, but I just told myself to keep going.
"Obviously there was a lot of tennis to play, so I wanted to really turn it around in the second set and I did a really good job.”
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Next up for Shapovalov is a quarterfinal clash vs. Jan-Lennard Struff. The big-hitting German smacked seven aces and did not face a break point toppling seventh-seeded Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-4.
The 53rd-ranked Struff has not dropped a set in two career wins over Bublik.
Sixth-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov won 17 of 20 second-serve points and did not face a break point beating Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-3. Khachanov will face former US Open champion Marin Cilic for a place in the quarterfinals.