Hubert Hurkacz saved a match point before defeating fifth seed Andrey Rublev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10/8) to win a thrilling Shanghai Masters final yesterday.It was the big-serving Pole’s second Masters triumph, to go with the one he won in Miami in 2021, and a seventh ATP title in all."It was such a battle, especially emotionally," the 16th seed said after surviving a nail-biting third-set tie break in front of the watching Roger Federer."I had a match point and Andrey hit an amazing serve and then he had a match point and then I had some match points."It was back and forth and such a tricky match."Hurkacz had Rublev under pressure early and broke the Russian with a vicious whipped forehand that Rublev had no chance of returning to lead 4-2 in the first set.The 25-year-old Rublev let out an angry roar in response and then Hurkacz easily held his own booming serve to go up 5-2.The Pole Hurkacz came into the final with a tournament-leading 77 aces and Rublev could not handle his blistering serve.Hurkacz sealed the first set in 31 minutes – and it was inevitably with another ace. He sent down 21 over the course of a topsy-turvy final.It was the first set that Rublev had dropped in Shanghai.But Rublev, who won the Monte Carlo Masters in April, struck back to break his opponent’s torpedo of a serve for a 2-0 lead at the start of the second set.A rejuvenated Rublev kept the 26-year-old Hurkacz at bay to send them into a deciding third set. Rublev on Saturday described his angry outbursts in his semi-final win over Grigor Dimitrov as "ugly" and he was struggling again with his emotions at times. In contrast, Hurkacz went about his business with quiet determination.Serving at 4-5 in a gripping third set, Rublev saved a match point – having been booed by the crowd moments earlier for aggressively approaching and shouting at courtside photographers.The battling duo went into the tie break, where Hurkacz finally prevailed.
October 15, 2023 | 11:44 PM