The No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings earned his first win of the season on Wednesday at the Open Occitanie in Montpellier, where he overcame American Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.
Rublev suffered opening-round exits against Fabian Marozsan and #NextGenATP Brazilian Joao Fonseca in Hong Kong and at the Australian Open, respectively. However, the top seed was in control throughout his 66-minute clash against Eubanks at the ATP 250 indoor hard event in France, where he won 89 per cent (25/28) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
In first-round action on Day 3, American qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic moved past sixth seed David Goffin 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, while Dutchman Jesper de Jong advanced after French wild card Quentin Halys was forced to retire. De Jong, 24, led 7-6(7), 2-0 when play was stopped. De Jong will meet Flavio Cobolli in the second round.
Andrey Rublev kicks off 2025 with a bang, securing his first win of the season in Montpellier on the ATP Tour. The Russian tennis sensation showed off his skills and determination as he battled his way to victory in the opening tournament of the year.
Rublev’s win in Montpellier is a promising start to the season for the young player, who is looking to build on his success in the previous year. With his impressive display of talent on the court, Rublev has proven once again why he is considered one of the rising stars in the world of tennis.
Fans can expect to see more exciting matches and impressive performances from Andrey Rublev as he continues his quest for success on the ATP Tour. Stay tuned for more updates on Rublev’s journey throughout the 2025 season.
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Scouting Report: Rublev, Auger-Aliassime headline action in Montpellier
An executive summary of what every fan should know about the coming week
January 26, 2025
Corinne Dubreuil/Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Richard Gasquet will all compete in Montpellier this week. By ATP Staff
The ATP Tour heads to Europe this week for the first indoor hard-court action of 2025 at the Open Occitanie in Montpellier.
Top 10 star Andrey Rublev leads the field in the south of France, where Felix Auger-Aliassime and defending champion Alexander Bublik will also compete. Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka plays as a wild card, while home favourite Richard Gasquet, who has triumphed in Montpellier a joint-record three times, is set to make his farewell appearance at the ATP 250.
ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch this week.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN MONTPELLIER 1) Top Seed Rublev: The hard-hitting Rublev heads to Montpellier chasing his first match win of the 2025 season following early exits in Hong Kong and at the Australian Open. The 27-year-old will be confident of finding his best form under the roof in Montpellier: he has won six of his 16 ATP Tour titles indoors. Rublev, who will open against Christopher Eubanks or a qualifier, reached the quarter-finals on his only previous event appearance in 2018.
2) Can Felix Fire In France?: In contrast to Rublev, Auger-Aliassime has already notched six tour-level wins this year, including four en route to the title at the Adelaide International. The Canadian, who is currently No. 23 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will aim to improve on his 2024 semi-final run in Montpellier when he chases his sixth indoor hard-court ATP Tour crown. The 24-year-old, who is the second seed, will begin his tournament against Wawrinka or Frenchman Arthur Cazaux.
3) Bublik Chases Montpellier Hat-trick: The man Auger-Aliassime fell to in the last four a year ago was Bublik, who went on to clinch his second Montpellier title in three years. The Kazakhstani is 10-2 at the ATP 250 event. The fourth seed, who also has a bye, will play German Dominik Koepfer or French wild card Gregoire Barrere in the second round.
4) Gasquet, Wawrinka In Action: Home fans will have their final chance in Montpellier to cheer on three-time titlist Gasquet, who last year announced he plans to retire after 2025 Roland Garros. The Frenchman is 28-9 in Montpellier, where he triumphed in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Another former Top 10 star, Wawrinka, will make his event debut, while 2018 titlist Lucas Pouille and 2021 winner David Goffin join Gasquet and Bublik as former champions in the draw.
5) Doumbia/Reboul Defend Crown: In 2024, Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul lifted their maiden ATP Tour title on home soil (and second overall) by triumphing in Montpellier. They will hope to channel local support to great effect once again. The top-seeded pair’s rivals in this year’s draw include second seeds Jamie Murray/Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Hong Kong champions Sander Arends/Luke Johnson. Wawrinka is playing doubles with Cazaux, his first-round singles opponent.
Andrey Rublev and Felix Auger-Aliassime headline the exciting field at the upcoming Montpellier tournament on the ATP Tour. As two of the rising stars in men’s tennis, fans can expect some thrilling matches as they battle it out on the court.
Rublev, currently ranked No. 8 in the world, has been in top form recently, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and clinching the title in Rotterdam last year. Known for his powerful baseline game and aggressive style of play, the Russian will be a formidable opponent for anyone in the draw.
Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime, ranked No. 12, has also been making waves on the tour with his dynamic playing style and impressive results. The Canadian reached the final in Marseille last year and will be looking to make a strong showing in Montpellier.
With other talented players like David Goffin and Jannik Sinner also set to compete, tennis fans can look forward to a week of high-quality matches and intense competition. Stay tuned for all the action at the Montpellier tournament as Rublev, Auger-Aliassime, and the rest of the field battle it out for the title.
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Andrey Rublev, seeded ninth, lost to 18-year-old qualifier Joao Fonesca in the first round of the Australian Open. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Round 1 of the 2025 Australian Open is officially in the books. The final day of early play contained an unexpected early exit as well as unexpected success for two teenagers looking to make their mark on the first Grand Slam of the year.
In a round of few upsets, Tuesday saw perhaps the most surprising. Russian Andrey Rublev, seeded ninth, was upset by qualifier Joao Fonseca, an 18-year-old from Brazil. He stormed into his Grand Slam main draw debut, stunning Rublev 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-6(5) in two hours and 23 minutes. Fonseca came into Round 1 on a 14-match winning streak and won over the crowd with his easy power and unshakable confidence. He’s just the second teenager since 1973 to beat a top-10 player in his first Grand Slam match.
“I just enjoyed every moment on this amazing court, it’s my first time playing in a huge stadium,” Fonesca said after the match. “I want to thank this amazing crowd. There are some Brazilians here… a lot of Brazilians here cheering for me!
“I was trying to not put pressure on myself, playing with a top-10 guy in a huge stadium. [I was] trying to call the crowd to help me. I just enjoyed playing my game.
“That’s one thing about myself, is that I play better in the important points, I go for my shots. That was the difference today.”
Fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev had to stare down his own possible early exit against Kasidit Samrej of Thailand. Medvedev won the first set, but Samrej won the next two. Unable to make any more mistakes, Medvedev rose to the challenge in the final two sets, easily finishing off Samrej and winning 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. He’ll face unseeded American Learner Tien in the second round.
It was a good day for Americans in the top 32, though curiously they all had to defeat other Americans to make it through to the second round. Taylor Fritz, the No. 4 seed, defeated his unseeded countryman Jenson Brooksby 6-2, 6-0, 6-3. Emma Navarro, seeded eighth in women’s singles, had a bit more trouble against fellow American Peyton Stearns. Navarro needed three hours and 20 minutes to defeat Stearns, but she managed to do it, winning 6(5)-7, 7-6(5), 7-5.
No. 19 Madison Keys also faced an American, Ann Li, and claimed a 6-4, 7-5 victory. And Ben Shelton, seeded 21st, took down Brandon Nakashima in a tough three-setter, winning 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-5. American wild-card entry Iva Jovic, who is playing in her second Grand Slam at just 17 years old, defeated Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain to advance to the second round.
Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina, seeded fourth and sixth, respectively, both sailed through their Round 1 matches. Paolini defeated Chinese qualifier Sijia Wei 6-0, 6-4, while 2022 Wimbledon champ Rybakina took care of 17-year-old Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-1 in just 53 minutes. Rybakina will face yet another 17-year-old in Round 2, taking on Jovic.
Ons Jabeur, unseeded in Melbourne, is looking to get her groove back after a punishing 2024. Once the No. 2 women’s singles player in the world, she is now ranked 39th after starting 2024 at No. 6. She faced Anhelina Kalinina on Tuesday and emerged with a straight-sets 6-3, 6-3 win in just 72 minutes. If this is the beginning of her journey back to the top, it couldn’t have started any better.
The third day of the Australian Open brought some surprising upsets and impressive performances from American players.
One of the biggest shocks of the day came in the men’s singles draw, where Russian star Andrey Rublev was upset by Brazilian teenager Thiago Seyboth Wild. The 19-year-old Wild put on a stunning display of power and precision to defeat the 7th seed Rublev in straight sets, sending shockwaves through the tournament.
On the American front, there were plenty of positives to take away from Day 3. In the men’s singles, Taylor Fritz put on a dominant performance to advance to the next round with a straight-sets victory over his opponent. Meanwhile, in the women’s singles, rising star Emma Navarro continued her impressive run with a hard-fought win to secure her spot in the next round.
In the junior competition, American youngster Ben Shelton also impressed with a convincing win to advance to the next round and keep his hopes alive in the tournament.
Overall, Day 3 of the Australian Open was filled with exciting matches, unexpected results, and impressive performances from players around the world. The competition is heating up, and fans can expect more thrilling tennis action in the days to come.
