Rublev takes out Bublik in the first round of the Doha tournament

Andrey Rublev made an excellent start to his career in Doha. The Russian, who has been lacking confidence for several months now, is hoping to get back on track in Qatar.

Seeded number 5 for the tournament, the Russian didn't inherit the most obvious draw, as he faced Alexander Bublik in the first round.

This is the seventh time the two men have faced each other, but the first time they have met on the same court since Rublev was disqualified in the semi-finals of last year's Dubai tournament.

Beaten in the quarter-finals of the same tournament by Jakub Mensik last year, the Russian is hoping to do better this season.

Solid in this encounter, Rublev saw Bublik get off to a good start. At the end of the set, however, the two-time Masters 1000 winner made a decisive break and ended up taking the set.

Rublev started the second set with a break, building on the momentum of his previous set-ending performance, but the Kazakh hung on and closed the gap.

In the end, however, Rublev regained the upper hand. Never ahead in either the first or second sets, Bublik eventually lost (6-3, 6-4 in 1h10).

The Russian, who was crowned champion in Qatar against Corentin Moutet in 2020, joins Nuno Borges, who defeated Otto Virtanen (who replaced Humbert in the draw) for a place in the quarter-finals.