"I thought I had lost and maybe that helped me relax," Rublev reflects on his victory against Popyrin

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.

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.