Estoril (Portugal) : Andrey Rublev lost just two games to earn his most comfortable win of the season on Thursday, beating lucky loser Timofey Skatov 6-1, 6-1 for a dominant and emphatic victory in the Estoril Open in Portugal.
Top seed Rublev started his campaign at the ATP 250 event high in confidence, having captured his first title of the year and 18th overall on the clay in Bastad. Under the Portuguese sun, the 28-year-old hit through the World No. 163 Skatov and sealed victory in just 59 minutes when he struck his 26th winner off a Skatov second serve.
The No. 14 player in the ATP Rankings, Rublev, has now won his past five matches and is into his seventh tour-level quarterfinal of the season, according to the ATP Win/Loss Index.
“I am happy to be here. It is my first time,” Rublev said. “The conditions are not easy to play in, but I feel great that I was able to win in straight sets, to be able to spend the least time on court and be as fresh as possible for tomorrow.”
Rublev will next meet Frenchman Luca Van Assche, who overcame eighth seed Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Carreno Busta was trying to advance to his first ATP Tour quarterfinal since Winston-Salem in 2024, but it was Van Assche who had the answers down the home straight.
The 22-year-old Van Assche holds a 0-3 record in the last eight at tour-level events but will hope to change that and reach his first semi-final when he plays Rublev. Earlier this season, Van Assche lifted an ATP Challenger trophy on clay in Parma.
In other action, Portugal’s Jaime Faria delighted home fans with a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Peruvian qualifier Gonzalo Bueno. The 22-year-old Faria is into his second tour-level quarter-final of the season after reaching that stage at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro. Faria, up nine spots to No. 79 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, will face second seed Luciano Darderi or Pedro Martinez on Friday.
--IANS
