Rublev downs fellow Russian Karatsev to reach third round
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Andrey Rublev overcame an opening set blip to beat Aslan Karatsev 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
LONDON (Reuters) - Andrey Rublev overcame an opening set blip to beat Aslan Karatsev 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in an all-Russian clash on Thursday to claim his 50th Grand Slam match victory and move into the Wimbledon third round.
Karatsev had beaten Rublev in their only previous meeting en route to his first Tour-level title in Dubai in 2021, but the seventh seed exacted revenge on the back of an effective service game and decisive net play.
Grass is not Rublev's favourite surface but he has slowly adapted to the fast turf following his runner-up finish at Halle, as he looks to improve on his last-16 exit at Wimbledon in 2021.
"The only time we played he beat me, so I was really nervous. I was trying to play my best because when Aslan is in his mood, he destroys the ball, winners from any position. It's really, really tough to play against him," Rublev said.
Karatsev started slowly when he dropped serve in the first game and the pair engaged in several baseline rallies before he broke back to make it 5-5.
Rublev's solid first serve came to his rescue as he forced a tiebreak with four unreturned serves in a 57-second game, but Karatsev flew into a 5-1 lead before taking the opening set.
They were neck-and-neck in the second set until Rublev converted a break point at 4-3 after the longest rally of the match with a desperate dig that crept over the net and spun back out of Karatsev's reach.
While the crowd cheered the audacious shot, Rublev immediately put his hands up in a sheepish apology, but the damage was done as he served out the set to make it one apiece.
The forecourt had been uncharted territory for Rublev early in the match but he then started coming to the net purposefully.
The pair looked evenly matched for much of the near-three-hour contest as Karatsev entertained the crowd with his powerful groundstrokes.
He struggled to break Rublev, however, and it was the five break points converted by Rublev to Karatsev's two that proved the difference and the seventh seed clinched victory on his first match point.
Rublev, who did not play at Wimbledon last year due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, will next face wildcard David Goffin or qualifier Tomas Barrios Vera.
