Andrey Rublev will play in the 2023 Shanghai Masters final after outsmarting Grigor Dimitrov in a very close match where a couple of moments completely changed the outcome of the match.
Rublev did win this match, but it was a match that he could have lost if his opponent played a little better in the crucial moments. The first set was a very close battle, though Dimitrov looked like the far more comfortable player.
He essentially didn't face a single break point for much of it while still finding a way to waste multiple on Rublev's serve. The missed chances proved a huge problem for Dimitrov as he got broken at 5-5, giving Rublev a chance to finish it off.
He failed, and we went into a tiebreak which Rublev ultimately won 9-7, though Dimitrov also had a set point. That would prove the Bulgarian's undoing as Rublev would smash him in the second set with some spectacular tennis.
The Russian played a very bad opening game to lose his serve and give Dimitrov a chance, but the Bulgarian couldn't keep his lead. A 40-15 advantage on serve with a break in hand at 2-1 was a great chance to shift momentum to his side, but he lost the game and the match not long after that.
Rublev got a huge boost from that break and smashed Dimitrov the rest of the way to secure another ATP 1000 final. He played one earlier this year in Monte-Carlo and won it against Holger Rune, but this time around, he will play against Hubert Hurkacz.
The Polish player bested Sebastian Korda earlier in the day to secure the final. When it comes to Rublev, the final score was 7-6(7) 6-3 in a match where he blasted nine aces and 25 winners en route to win.
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