Andrey Rublev had to work to finally overcome stubborn resistance from Alex de Minaur, finally defeating the Australian 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (8) on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the ATP Doha tournament.

Fifth seed Rublev, the 2020 champion here, needed eight match points to advance over the Australian seeded second. He also saved a match point for the Aussie in the late-match struggle.

Victory marked his first win over a top 10 player since last August when he beat Jannik Sinner in Montreal

The pair now stand 4-4 in their career series , with Rublev into his fourth semi-final here.

Rublev credited de Minaur with fighting hard, especially during the epic ending.

“Alex saved match points with extraordinary tennis,” he said. ”I know this feeling. I’ve been in this situation. 

“That’s why when I started to stress and lost my serve, I was like okay at least fight till the end… I don’t know, I wanna punch him,” he joked.  

He added that after saving a match point, “you’re not stressed any more, the other guy starts to stress.” 

Rublev next faces Felix Auger-Aliassime, moved ahead as Daniil Medvedev retired after losing their opening set 6-3.

Main photo:- Andrey Rublev winning in Doha – by Qatar Tennis

Stefanos Tsitsipas has confessed on Instagram that he was unsure about his tennis career last spring before winning the Monte Carlo title gave him just enough altitude to toss his doubts aside.

But that trophy – only his second in as many seasons – was barely enough to keep his mind in the game as disappointment mounted throughout 2024.

“If I have to say something about this year, it’s that I’m very proud of what I’m doing now, because my mind has had some very difficult moments this year and I wasn’t sure if I could continue playing tennis.”

The 26-year-old Greek who stands 11th in the world heading into the 2025 start, added: 

“Tennis wasn’t important to me anymore, going to tournaments wasn’t important to me anymore. It’s been complicated because I never imagined I’d get to this point, but I’m proud of myself for the way I’ve handled the situations – because it hasn’t been easy.”

The just-concluded season was marked by what appears to be a definitive split from his father Apostolos as coach, a breakup which exploded in August in Montreal.

Due to modest results, Tsitsipas missed qualifying for the year-end ATP Finals in Turin for the first time since 2019.

British hope Jack Draper has issued a warning about the dangers of a packed-out tournament calendar on player longevity.

The US Open semi-finalist who has risen to a career-best 20th ranking, lost a Davis Cup rubber in Manchester less than a week after his career-defining success at Flushing Meadows, where he lost to Jannik Sinner.

The player who has competed in 49 matches this season said the modern pace of scheduling is becoming too much to handle.

“It’s a mental (demanding) calendar,” the 22-year-old said. “It’s going to be very hard for players of my age to achieve longevity any more (such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic enjoyed).

“If you look at how many tournaments I’ve played this year, it’s hopefully 25, 26 for the first time. That’s a big positive in itself – this is my first proper year on tour.

“It’s definitely tough, but my team want the best for me, they want me to stay injury-free, to look after my body and mind.”

Draper suggested the situation was not helped by the inclusion of the Paris Olympics in late summer.

“Since Miami (March) I just haven’t had any time,” he said. 

“We went straight into the clay, then straight on to the grass, straight to the Olympics, straight out to Montreal, Cincinnati, training week, US Open, here, then it’s Asia, then it’s indoor season.”

He added: “I look at the sort of schedule, and I know players have done it for years, but the way the ATP have changed to two weeks with the Masters and these types of things, it’s giving us no time any more.

“There’s literally no break. It’s really mentally and physically challenging.”

Draper is due back in harness for the ATP event in Beijing starting in less than a fortnight under the new extended regime for Masters tournaments.

Main photo;- Jack Draper winning Quarter Final match in the 2024 US Open Tennis – by Mark Greenwood International Sports Fotos Ltd