Top-10 stars Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune have avoided joining the historic bloodbath of seeds at this year’s Australian Open as they booked a blockbuster fourth-round clash at Melbourne Park.
Fifth seed Rublev dispatched 25th-seeded Brit Dan Evans 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday and has dropped just one set in three wins this week, while No.9 seed Holger Rune’s flawless run continued in a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) defeat of Frenchman Ugo Humbert.
Andrey Rublev belts a forehand return against Dan Evans.Credit:AP
Daniil Medvedev’s straight-sets exit on Friday night to American Sebastian Korda meant neither of the previous year’s men’s finalists made the last 16 for the first time since the Open introduced a 128-player draw in 1988.
Defending champion and top seed Rafael Nadal was a second-round casualty, with Casper Ruud (No.2 seed), Medvedev (No.7), Taylor Fritz (No.8), Cameron Norrie (No.11), Alex Zverev (No.12), Matteo Berrettini (No.13) and Pablo Carreno Busta (No.14) also out.
Those early defeats came on top of world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, title contender Nick Kyrgios and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic withdrawing before the grand slam began due to injury.
Andrey Rublev celebrates his win.Credit:AP
But Rublev, who has never advanced beyond the quarter-finals at a grand slam despite his prodigious talent, said he would not fall into the trap again of believing he had a golden chance for a deep run at Melbourne Park.
“There were some moments before when I feel there is opportunity to go to semis or even final maybe and then nothing happens,” Rublev said.
“So, this time, I don’t want to even try to think about opportunities. Game-wise, I think I have a good game to fight against top players, but the mental part, most of the time, is stopping me.
“Sometimes, I want it too badly, then I cannot control myself. At this level, it is all about mental and the top players; they’re better at the moment in this thing.”
Rune was the last man to defeat Novak Djokovic in the Paris Masters final – and the only one since the French Open in May, if the Laver Cup exhibition event is excluded – and told The Age ahead of the Australian Open that he was ready to win a grand slam.
Holger Rune on the front foot against Ugo Humbert.Credit:AP
“I was not going to face Rafa or Daniil right now [anyway], so I’m just focusing on the match I’m going to play and, of course, I know what’s happening [with the other seeds] but mainly I just focus on myself,” Rune said.
“I never really feel like an underdog in myself because I have so high ambitions every time I play. Even when we [he and Rublev] played last year in Paris; I was still believing that I could beat him, and I did beat him.
“But he’s a super tough opponent … he has no weakness, so I really have to play good, and I’m expecting a tough match but really looking forward to it.”
Ugo Humbert checks on Holger Rune after the Dane fell in their clash.Credit:AP
Medvedev, who made the past two AO finals, has departed before the quarter-finals at his past three grand slams after twice ascending to the top ranking last year.
This is his worst Open result since losing in the second round in 2018, and he will tumble outside the top 10 for the first time since mid-2019.
“Matches like this [against Korda] are tough because he played his good level, maybe a little bit better than his good level. I played not at all bad, but just a little bit below what I had to do to win,” Medvedev said.
“That’s tough because probably that’s something about confidence, like being in the zone, and I wasn’t there tonight. Like all the close points; I didn’t win that many with, like, those beautiful rallies.
“In a way, I think it was a top match, where he was just better than me. I won many matches like this. Right now, I’m a little bit struggling to win these kinds of matches against opponents that can play good level. That’s what I have to find back.”
There has also been carnage on the women’s side, with Ons Jabeur (No.2), Maria Sakkari (No.6), Daria Kasatkina (No.8), Veronika Kudermetova (No.9), Madison Keys (No.10), last year’s runner-up Danielle Collins (No.13), Beatriz Haddad Maia (No.14), Petra Kvitova (No.15) and Anett Kontaveit (No.16) eliminated.
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