Rublev stuns Nadal at Monte Carlo Masters
MONACO » Andrey Rublev produced an audacious display of attacking tennis to hand record 11-time champion Rafael Nadal a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 defeat on clay in the Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinals on Friday.
The sixth-seeded Russian might have won even more convincingly, with Nadal saving break points at 3-1 down in the second set.
Nadal clawed his way back to win that set and seemed to have settled down, but Rublev broke him immediately at the start of the decider in which the 34-year-old Nadal looked very tired.
“When you face a great player like him and you don’t play well, you should lose,” Nadal said. “He played great, he played aggressive. Well done to him.”
Rublev clinched his first win against third-seeded Nadal on his first match point with a typically powerful winner on forehand — a weapon Nadal struggled to contain all match.
“I don’t even know what to say. I cannot imagine being in the situation of Rafa, knowing that you are the best player on clay,” Rublev said. “I think for him it must be incredibly tough.”
Having beaten the 20-time Grand Slam champion on one of his clay strongholds, Rublev’s next opponent is unseeded Norwegian Casper Ruud.
The 22-year-old Ruud, who has just one career title compared to 86 for Nadal, also beat a former champion by knocking out 2019 winner Fabio Fognini, 6-4, 6-3.
Cink sets midway record
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. » Two-time champion Stewart Cink moved into position for a third RBC Heritage title, shooting a second straight 63 to set the 36-hole scoring mark at Harbour Town.
Cink, 47, appears unstoppable after two amazing days. He sits at 16-under 126, five shots ahead of Corey Conners. The previous best midway score was
129, set by Jack Nicklaus en route to victory in 1975 and matched by Phil Mickelson, who wound up third in 2002.
Conners shot 64 and was 11 under. Emiliano Grillo (64) was another shot behind.
John transferring to Duke
DURHAM, N.C. » Forward Theo John says he’s transferring from Marquette to Duke, yet another player to leave the Golden Eagles. John said on Twitter that after conferring with his family he will spend his final year of eligibility with the Blue Devils.
The 6-foot-9 John averaged 8 points, 5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks this past season. His 191 career blocks rank second in Marquette history. He has made 91 starts over the last three seasons.
Couples nearly flawless
NAPLES, FLA. » Fred Couples put in more work than usual to get ready for the Masters, only to have his worst performance in 36 appearances. Back on the PGA Tour Champions, he was more at ease and close to flawless.
Couples didn’t miss a fairway, setting up wedges or short irons into most of the holes, and he had a 9-under 63 to build a two-shot lead after the opening round of the Chubb Classic.
Bernhard Langer, one of players at Augusta National last week, shot a 65. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker was among those another shot behind.
Chen tops Hanyu
OSAKA, JAPAN » Three-time world champion Nathan Chen won the free skate at the figure skating World Team Trophy to continue his dominance of two-time Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu.
First after the short program, Chen opened with a quadruple flip and landed a quad salchow in the first half of his routine set to a selection of music by Philip Glass.
Winner of the past five U.S. titles, Chen landed two more quadruple toeloops as part of combination jumps to score 203.24 points.
Hanyu, who was second after the short program, opened with a quad loop but could only manage a single salchow instead of a planned quad salchow on his second jump.
Coleman to miss Olympics despite reduced ban
GENEVA » The man who had been expected to succeed Usain Bolt as Olympic champion will miss the Tokyo Games after failing Friday in an appeal to overturn his ban for missed doping tests.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport cut current 100-meter world champion Christian Coleman’s ban from two years to 18 months, but it won’t expire until November, three months after the Olympics.
Coleman’s 9.76-second run to win the 2019 world title was the fastest in the world in the past five years, and 0.05 quicker than Bolt when he won a third straight Olympic gold in 2016.
Coleman has never tested positive but the American sprinter broke antidoping rules by missing three no-notice attempts to take samples from him in a one-year period.