Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime fights back from 1-4 down to advance, while second seed Alexander Bublik falls to Tallon Griekspoor in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Dubai: Andrey Rublev emerged victorious in a showdown between two former champions, overcoming France’s Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 to book his place in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Wednesday.
Rublev, who lifted the trophy in 2022, weathered a spirited challenge from Humbert—the 2024 champion—to extend his strong recent form. The Russian reached the semifinals in Doha last week and now looks poised for another deep run in Dubai.
Meanwhile, top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada mounted a resilient comeback to dispatch French qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. The Canadian trailed 1-4 in the opening set before regrouping to overcome the big-serving qualifier.
Auger-Aliassime will next face Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka, who defeated Spain’s Pablo Carreño Busta 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 in their round-of-16 clash.
The tournament witnessed a notable upset as second seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan fell to Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4). Griekspoor will meet sixth seed Jakub Menšík in the quarterfinals after the 20-year-old Czech rising star cruised past Alexei Popyrin of Australia 6-3, 6-2.
In the final match of the night, British fourth seed Jack Draper was eliminated by France’s Arthur Rinderknech in a gripping three-set encounter, 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4. Rinderknech now advances to face Rublev in the quarterfinals.
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