The 2021 semifinalist, Andrey Rublev, secured his place into the third round of the second Masters 1000 of the season by prevailing an inspired performance by World No. 50 J.J. Wolf, playing on home soil.
The 12-time ATP titlist earned a 7-6(3), 6-4 win over the man who shocked Frances Tiafoe in Dallas last February after one hour and 41 minutes.
In his on-court interview, he assessed the encounter: “It’s a great feeling because I didn’t know what to expect, and it was my first match here.”
Adding: “I didn’t have much time to adapt. I know he’s dangerous, and that he can play really well and really aggressive.
“As soon as we started to play, I was losing, so it was not easy. In the end, I was happy that I was able to keep calm inside, and I was waiting for my moment [in the first set]. As I had the moment, I started to play a bit better, and I started to feel more confident.”
Rublev made a slow start to the opener, while Wolf broke his serve to open the first set, holding next to take a 2-0 lead.
The Moscow native narrowed the gap to 1-2; nonetheless, the American maintained the advantage for much of the set until the World No. 7 regrouped to level up at 5-5.
Strong behind his serve, he hit three aces to force a first-set tiebreak which he won, hitting two more aces in the process, closing out the opener with a 7-6(3) victory in 54 minutes.
Rublev, 25, continued his big-serving performance, but in the fifth game, his opponent improved his services as well, and as a result, a tight second set began to unfold.
Lacking consistency, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships runner-up - lost to compatriot Daniil Medvedev in the final, battled to save two break points against him, holding his serve at 3-3.
In the seventh game, Wolf dropped his serve, handling his rival breathing room to open a 5-3 lead.
Under pressure when serving for the match in the 10th game, Rublev fended off three break points to seal the set 6-4 in 46 minutes, securing a place in the next round.
He finished with 36 winners (16 aces) and 16 unforced errors, winning 85 percent of the first serve points, while Wolf won 70 percent on his.
Next, Rublev will face either 29th seed Miomir Kecmanovic or Frenchman Ugo Humbert.