Andrey Rublev, ranked 5th in the world, was unexpectedly disqualified due to allegations of using profanity towards a line judge during the final set of his match at the Dubai Open.
The fiery Russian was losing 6-5 in the third set against Alexander Bublik when he directed his anger towards a line judge.
The ATP manager Roland Herfel approached the court with a Russian interpreter, who alleged that Rublev had cursed in his mother tongue. Rublev objected, stating that he was speaking in English, with Bublik also supporting his statement.
Rublev exclaimed, “I did not use the word ‘fucker’. I swear to God, this is significant. I swear to God.”
The offence would usually merit a warning in the first instance, but the 26-year-old was defaulted by umpire Miriam Bley amid jeers from the crowd in Dubai. It was a controversial end to a tight match, with Kazakhstan’s Bublik progressing to the final 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-5.
Jack Draper had a smooth victory in the Mexican Open in Acapulco, advancing to the semi-finals after defeating Miomir Kecmanovic 6-2, 6-2. Draper holds a higher ranking at world No 50, three spots above his opponent, and this was reflected in their performance on the court with a significant difference between them.
In the first set, Draper secured a break against Kecmanovic in the third game and was able to do it again to gain a 4-1 advantage. He then served out the set after 31 minutes had passed.
The beginning of the second set was a more intense battle, with the first four games being held by both players as Draper successfully defended against a break point to even the score at 2-2. Draper took charge from that point on, converting his fourth break point opportunity to win the fifth game and securing a second break to gain a 5-2 lead. He then served a perfect game to clinch his spot in the semi-finals after 80 minutes of play.
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In January, Draper reached the finals in Adelaide after defeating Kecmanovic and Tommy Paul, whom he had previously beat in the opening round in Acapulco. He will now face defending champion Alex de Minaur from Australia in the semi-finals. Despite losing in their previous 10 meetings, the world No 9 came back from being a set down to defeat Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Source: theguardian.com
