Two points away from defeat, Rublev benefits from Davidovich Fokina's retirement in Toronto

Andrey Rublev, the defending finalist at the Toronto Masters 1000, advanced to the quarterfinals after Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired (6-7, 7-6, 3-0 ret.).

Servers dominated the first two sets, with both decided by tiebreaks. Davidovich Fokina controlled the first tiebreak 7-3, but Rublev responded in the second, winning it 7-2.

The Spaniard, frustrated after missing a chance to close out the match at 5-4, 0-30 on Rublev’s serve, exited the match in the final set after conceding an early break. Trailing 3-0, he made the decision to retire.

A stroke of luck for Rublev, who secures a spot in the Canadian quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. The sixth-seeded Russian awaits the winner between Taylor Fritz and Jiri Lehecka.