Emil Ruusuvuori surprised Russian Andrei Rublev in the second round of the Masters tennis tournament in Cincinnati.
Matti Lehtisaari,
STT Sports
Emil Ruusuvuori stretched to a handsome victory at the tennis ATP Masters tournament in Cincinnati. Rusuvuori knocked down the Russian Andrei Rublev 7-6, 5-7, 7-6 in a dizzying turn.
Rublev is ranked eighth in the world, Ruusuvuori is ranked 60. The second round match lasted almost three and a half hours.
– It feels really good, although the legs also feel quite a lot. It was quite a “battle”. Everything was left on the field and both had a lot of ups and downs in the game. In the tiebreak of the third set, luck was involved in a couple of points, when the ball touched the net strip and happened to go in. But that’s how it goes in a match like this, you just have to try to be as sharp as possible all the time, Ruusuvuori described after the match.
According to Ruusuvuori, the match had a lot of ups and downs for both. He found room for improvement in his own performance, but he also said that he was proud of the victory and that he got energy and self-confidence from it.
The second win of the year among TOP10 players
Ruusuvuori and Rublev had previously met twice. Rublev had won both matches, in Dubai in 2021 straight in two sets and at the Australian Open in January of this year by a set of 3-1.
The win over the TOP10 player was Ruusuvuori’s second of the season. Italian Jannik Sinner bent in a match played on grass courts. Now came a sweet victory from Rublev.
– Yes, this (victory) certainly gives a lot of energy and self-confidence. We are here because of matches like this, and when you get a win, it sure feels good, Ruusuvuori tasted.
In the third round of the tournament in Cincinnati, Ruusuvuori will face Australia by Alexei Popyrinwhich is ranked 58th in the world.