Match Report_ATP Bastad: Rublev, Ruud Out, Nadal Advances to Men’s Doubles Semifinals

On July 17th, local time, the ATP250 Bastad tournament saw two major upsets as the only two TOP10 players, Rublev and Ruud, were eliminated from the singles competition.

Rublev profile picture

Argentinian player Tiliante, ranked No.121 in the world, secured the most important victory of his career by defeating world No.8 Rublev 7-6(5)/3-6/6-4 in the second round of the men’s singles, achieving his first win against a TOP10 player and advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time in his tour career. He will face Bajena in the quarterfinals.

“I think I had a great match,” said Tiliante after the game. “It was my first time playing in front of such a large crowd, so I was very nervous. It was also my first time playing against a TOP10 player. I’m happy that I played the best tennis of my life here, my results haven’t been good lately, but this has been the best week of my life, so I’ll always remember Sweden.”

Ruud profile picture

Brazilian player Monteiro defeated 2021 tournament champion and world No.9 Ruud 6-3/6-3. This was his first victory in four encounters with Ruud. Monteiro will face qualifier Edukovich in the quarterfinals, who defeated No.8 seed Koltov in three sets.

However, Ruud still managed a victory on the doubles court, partnering with Nadal to narrowly defeat Alibazhe/Safulin 6-4/3-6/12-10. They saved a match point when trailing 9-10 in the decisive tie-break.

“We really enjoyed the match,” said Nadal after the game. “The match became incredibly tense at the end, we played well against two strong opponents. We’re happy, the crowd was fantastic, it’s great to have a full house for a doubles match, and I’m enjoying every day here.”

(Written and edited by Wang Fei)