Andrey Rublev rattles Stefanos Tsitsipas for winning start in Turin

Andrey Rublev was near-flawless on serve in his first ATP Finals match in 2021 to oust Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.

The world number five entered the event in sub-par form having won just two of his last five matches.

However, he quickly sought to rectify that by serving masterfully against Tsitsipas in the opening set.

Rublev landed 23 of 25 first serves in (92%) and won 20 of those 23 points when getting his first serve in (87%).

That prowess along with a break on the Tsitsipas serve put the Russian one set up with a 6-4 scoreline.

While his first serve percentage waned to 51% in the second set, Rublev’s dominance behind it remained impressive. The 24-year-old won 17 of 18 points behind his first serve in the second set (94%).

Rublev sealed victory after 90 minutes on court, 6-4, 6-4 for his second ever ATP Finals victory.

“Today I was playing really aggressively,” Rublev said in his post-match interview.

“Since the first game I had really great shots, great returns. Basically all the match I was serving really well and I’m really happy with my performance today.”

The victory takes Rublev up to 48 wins in 2021. He can surpass 50 wins in a season for the first time ever should he win his remaining two group stage matches.

Conversely, Rublev could potentially qualify for the semi-finals by winning just one more group match and then winning that semi-final to reach 50 wins in 2021.

In terms of his rivalry with Tsitsipas, the two men now share a head-to-head of 4-4. Neither man has won more than two matches consecutively against the other.

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