MADRID — Andrey Rublev rallied to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets on Sunday and win the Madrid Open for the first time.
Rublev won 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 after Auger-Aliassime double-faulted on the last point of the final at the clay-court tournament in the Spanish capital.
It was the second Masters 1000 title for the eighth-ranked Rublev. The 26-year-old Russian also won at Monte Carlo last year. Auger-Aliassime was playing in his first final at this level.
“Congrats to Andrey. Very deserving winner. Congrats to you and your team. I tried til the end,” Auger-Aliassime said in saluting the winner and the crowd after the match. “You’re a great player. We always have a good time on tour. Very deserved and well done.”
Rublev entered Madrid on a four-game losing streak after early exits at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona. One of his victories in Madrid came in the quarterfinals against home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz.
“I would say (this is) the most proud title of my career,” he said in his postmatch, on-court interview.
Rublev now has 16 career titles, and two this season after Hong Kong in January. He had arrived with a 5-1 record against Auger-Aliassime, including a win in their sole matchup on clay.
Auger-Aliassime’s path to the final saw second-ranked Jannik Sinner withdraw because of an injury ahead of the quarterfinals, and Jiri Lehecka retired against the Canadian in the first set of the semifinals.
Other injuries hit the men’s draw in Madrid, starting with Novak Djokovic‘s withdrawal before the tournament. Daniil Medvedev retired in the quarterfinals, while Alcaraz was hampered by a sore right arm and Rafael Nadal bowed out of what was likely his last appearance in his home country.
Iga Swiatek won the women’s title for the first time in her career on Saturday.
The Associated Press contributing this report.