Andrey Rublev defeated Holger Rune (5/7 6/2 7/5) in the final of the Monte Carlo master 1000 on Sunday, April 16.
After having lost in straight sets his two previous master 1000 finals (Monte Carlo 2021, Cincinnati 2021), Andrey Rublev finally ended up on top. Lying down on clay after 2h34 of a harsh mental battle, the Russian let all his joy show through. His tears illustrated all the hard work he had to put in to win such a big title.
A first set of all surprises
Rublev decided to receive. He hit a winning return that allowed him to win the first point of the match. Holger Rune played two winners in the first game : 1/0. After a return that landed in his foot and a double fault, Andrey Rublev already had to save a break point ; which he did thanks to a backhand down the line : 1/1. The Russian used all his aggressiveness to get two in his turn. He played a less impactful tennis on the points that mattered ; and let Holger Rune in the lead of the match. The Danish took advantage of Andrey Rublev’s annoyance. He made a string of two winning drop shots and a dazzling return on second serve to get the break : 4/2. The Russian didn’t give up. He ran after every ball – forcing Holger Rune to hit one more ball. He needed five attempts to overcome the Danish devastating net rises. Andrey Rublev confirmed his break with a love game : 4/4 – the first set was still up for grabs. Both players won their games of serve to reach : 6/5 ; Holger Rune saved a break point on his way. Andrey Rublev served to clinch a tiebreak. The young Danish took advantage of this moment of tension to break his opponent. He won the first set 7/5.
The pressure on both players was tangible in the beginning of the match. Andrey Rublev’s first serve percentage was near of the 40% while Holger Rune lacked consistency. Despite impactful returns, the Russian balls lacked depth and heaviness to disturb the teenager. The latter won the first set thanks to his aggressiveness.
A quick second set
Andrey Rublev didn’t seem to be affected by the lost of the first set. He started the second one on a roll. He made an early break thanks to an unforced error of his opponent. He let go his strikes which enabled him to have more power. Holger Rune was in big troubles during the first games. He hanged on ; and saved two break points : 2/1, Rublev’s serve to follow. Lacking first balls, the latter didn’t take long to cave in against the assaults of his young opponent. The break was done : 2/2. Andrey Rublev fought back. He took advantage of one of Holger Rune’s volleys that landed in the net to get his break back. He kept going with a mastered game to confirm his advantage : 4/2. Holger Rune lost his focus. He got rid of the second set : scattered strikes, double faults, shouts against his staff. The Russian stayed calm while his opponent sabotaged himself : 6/2.
Andrey Rublev played a far better level of tennis than Holger Rune. He showed consistency and serenity while the Dane scattered on the court. The seventh player of the world remained in his classical patterns : powerful strikes, very few unforced errors and a great lecture of the game.
A tied deciding set
The beginning of the deciding set was more calm. Both players accepted to play long rallies from the back of the court. Holger Rune won his first fame of serve easily. Remobilized, he used each of his strikes to take time away from Andrey Rublev. He made a string of winning returns on the shy second serves of Andrey Rublev – until getting the break : 2/0. Holger Rune took the lead of this last set. The Russian seemed to watch the match unfold while being unable to act. He was powerless against the strokes of genius of the Danish : 3/0. Rublev used the fourth game to stop the hemorrhage. A tight game on the 19-year-old’s serve followed, reminding us that the wind could change. The latter saved two break points thanks to a counterbalance and an ace : 4/1. Despite a serve game that didn’t start well, Andrey Rublev saved a double break point thanks to a serve that landed on the T : 4/2, he could still have hope to win this match. Holger Rune played a catastrophic game. Made of two double faults and a missed backhand down the line – it was easily won by the Russian who matched the score. Both players tightened their game to reach 5/5. Andrey Rublev’s defensive abilities hurt Holger Rune. He touched with the end of his racket two chopped backhands which forced the Danish to hit two smashes – that his missed. A new unforced error gave a crucial break point to Andrey Rublev. He didn’t have to do a lot ; a double fault was enough. The Russian just had to serve for the championship. He stayed patient and impervious to pressure. He concluded to greatest victory of his career with an ace.
This deciding set exacerbated the flaws in Holger Rune’s tennis. Despite his talent, he didn’t manage to get over the pressure of the event. The early break wasn’t enough to clinch victory. It was canceled by the too many unforced errors. However, Andrey Rublev experience was his biggest ally. He knew how to minimize his unforced errors while assaulting his opponent with powerful and cleverly placed strikes.
The final of the first master 1000 of clay court season wasn’t the time for amazing tennis but rather a fierce mental battle. Both players, held back by the greatness of the event, had trouble playing their best tennis. Andrey Rublev had to do with a lack of first serves ; Holger Rune didn’t get past his pile of unforced errors. The Russian owes his victory to his attitude. His lack of self-confidence enabled him to get the victory. With a cool head, he chased the score all the way through the last set without ever getting discouraged. Holger Rune could learn from the modesty of Andrey Rublev in the future. His impatience and his excess of ambition got the better of him.
Rolex Monte Carlo Master : Andrey Rublev clinches the title
Winning such a prestigious title should give great confidence to Andrey Rublev for the rest the clay season. He could finally get past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam ; glass-ceiling which he still hasn’t broken.
Marnie Abbou
