Andrey Rublev needed this week. The hard-hitting Russian dropped outside the top ten for the first time in ages following his limp Madrid title defence. He was ousted early in Rome and came into this tournament on a three-match losing streak.
2025 ATP/ WTA Tour
ATP 500/ WTA 500
Hamburg Open/ Internationaux de Strasbourg
Selected Semifinals- 23rd May
ATP 500- Hamburg Open
Andrey Rublev (3) 0.79 vs Felix Auger-Aliassime (6) 1
It just feels as if Rublev’s brand of baseline pugilism is becoming a tad one-dimensional. He won in Dubai earlier this season but has fallen off a cliff since then (he went 2-7 following that Dubai triumph). Rublev has looked far more composed in this French Open tune-up event. He enjoyed a favourable opening set of fixtures, easing past Damir Dzumhur and Justin Engel in straight-set wins. He had a tougher time in his quarterfinal fixture, needing three sets to overcome Marrakech champ Luciano Darderi (his first victory over a dyed-in-the-wool clay-court specialist this season). Rublev reached the final here back in 2019 and could use this as a launching pad to reinvigorate his flagging campaign.
Felix Auger-Alliassime finally managed to get the job done against Alexandre Muller, converting his 7th match-point to progress to the Hamburg semifinals. It was a brutally exhausting affair, with the Canadian hitting 40 winners to a staggering 61 unforced errors. His serve bailed him out on several occasions (he managed to win 71% of his first-serve points). This has been a schizophrenic campaign for the uber-talented Canadian. He reached three finals in the first four three months, winning titles in Adelaide and Montpelier. His form completely capitulated in the last two months, and he came into this match on a five-match losing streak (including a Challenger first-round defeat). This is precisely the sort of inconsistency that has dogged the Canadian’s career. But he managed to pull himself together on the eve of the French Open, winning three consecutive Hamburg matches (his first clay-court wins of the year). Auger-Aliassime enjoyed a real resurgence on clay last season, finishing runner-up in Rome and before that dreaded 4th place finish at the Olympics.
The Verdict: Rublev to win in straight sets at 1.8- Rublev has utterly dominated this head-to-head rivalry, leading the Canadian 6-1. He has won their last four meetings, coming through in a 3rd set tiebreaker at this year’s Dubai Tennis Championship. Auger-Alliassime should take heart from the fact that all but one of their meetings has gone to a decisive set. Rublev came from a set behind to claim last year’s Madrid title and he should have too much weight of shot for the inconsistent Auger-Aliassime (who is going to spray unforced errors everywhere).
