French qualifier Alexandre Muller pulled off a stunning upset at the Rome Masters on Monday, defeating the No 4 seed Andrey Rublev in a thrilling three-set match. Muller, ranked No 109, showed incredible resilience and determination to come back from a set down and secure a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over the Russian, who was on a seven-match winning streak after winning the Madrid Masters just a day before.
Rublev, known for his fighting spirit, saved multiple match points in the match, but it was Muller who ultimately prevailed, converting his third match point to claim the biggest win of his career. The Frenchman will now face either Italian wildcard Stefano Napolitano or Chilean Nicolas Jarry in the next round.
Muller’s path to the last 16 was not easy, as he had to battle through tough matches against players like Marton Fucsovics and Arthur Fils in earlier rounds. His impressive run at the Rome Masters has certainly turned heads and established him as a player to watch in the tournament.
In other third-round results at the Foro Italico, top players like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Grigor Dimitrov secured victories, while there were some surprising upsets, including Alejandro Tabilo’s win over world No 1 Novak Djokovic. The competition is heating up at the Rome Masters, with more exciting matches and surprises expected in the coming days.