Andrey Rublev Joins Carlos Alcaraz For Unwanted 2023 Record After Shanghai Masters Loss

Andrey Rublev suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the Shanghai Masters final at the hands of Hubert Hurkacz. The Russian even had a championship point during the match, but failed to convert it before losing the final set in tie-break. This was the second instance in 2023, when a player failed to convert a match point and ended up losing the match, after Carlos Alcaraz.

This was not the first instance when Andrey Rublev failed to convert clutch points. The Russian has reached the quarterfinals of three Grand Slams but failed to make the semi-finals even once. His overall record at US Open is 0-4 when it comes to going from quarterfinals into the semi-finals. All these stats hint towards Rublev not being clutch in important moments which is perhaps stopping him from becoming a top-3 player in ATP.

How Rublev, Alcaraz faltered in ATP 1000 Masters finals

Hubert Hurkacz won his second Masters title, saving a match point before defeating Andrey Rublev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6, in a dramatic final at the Shanghai Masters. In the third set, Rublev saved one match point on serve at 4-5 before leading the third set tiebreaker 5-2. Hurkacz responded with back-to-back aces before forcing a Rublev error to tie the game at 5-5. Rublev then gained a match point at 6-5, which the Pole saved, before winning the title on his fourth attempt. This was a heartbreaking defeat for the Russian, who was on the cusp of glory.

Miami 2021
Shanghai 2023

The moment @HubertHurkacz became a TWO TIME Masters 1000 Champion after beating Rublev in the #RolexShanghaiMasters Final! pic.twitter.com/CasOpGXKRU

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 15, 2023

Earlier in the year, Carlos Alcaraz suffered a similar fate in his Cincinnati Masters final against Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard had a match point which he failed to convert, before the Serbian took control of the match and won the championship. Novak Djokovic won the third set in tie-break to win the match in a grand fashion.

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Novak Djokovic becomes Cincinnati Masters champion for the third time after a thrilling 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 victory over his Wimbledon nemesis Carlos Alcaraz in a marathon final! @DjokerNole | #CincyTennispic.twitter.com/DRQBlSe86x

— Live Tennis (@livetennis) August 21, 2023

Hubert Hurkacz and Novak Djokovic are the only two players in 2023 to preserve a match point on their way to winning an ATP Tour title in two different events. Hurkacz last did it in February when he saved a match point at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille.

Rublev and Alcaraz will be disappointed with the way their season is ending. The Russian is yet to win a big title this season while the Spaniard is still to win any title since his Wimbledon 2023 triumph.

Is Andrey Rublev not playing to his potential?

Roger Federer had earlier predicted that Andrey Rublev will have a big future in tennis and also watched him play in Shanghai to recently. The Swiss maestro was full of praise for the young Russian but it feels like Rublev is yet to reach his potential. Rublev has made great progress in his career, reaching multiple Grand Slam quarterfinals and semifinals, but his performance in crunch matches appears to be a stumbling block. While he has enjoyed some success at ATP Masters events, his performances in Grand Slams have been disappointing.