"I thought I had lost and maybe that helped me relax," Rublev reflects on his victory against Popyrin
© AFP
Andrey Rublev escaped Alexei Popyrin's trap in Cincinnati, winning 6-7, 7-6, 7-5.
Interviewed on the court after the match, the Russian revealed he had already seen himself losing after dropping the first set.
Publicité
He said: "I thought I had already lost, that it was all over—that’s how it felt in my head. But in reality, it wasn’t the case yet.
Maybe that helped me relax, and I was able to do something differently.
We’ll keep working. And in a way, I was able to play more freely, take more risks, which really helped me."
Rublev will face Francisco Comesana for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Cincinnati 
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