Andrey Rublev stops Alexander Zverev in Bastad; Ruud, Musetti, Cerundolo join in semis

Andrey Rublev began his head-to-head series with tour buddy Alexander Zverev by dropping their first five meetings. He’s since turned a corner, taking both of their 2023 showdowns.

On Friday, Rublev cruised past the fifth-seeded German, 6-2, 6-3, in the Nordea Open quarterfinals to take another step towards lifting the Bastad crown. The No. 2 seed did not drop his serve on the day and was the superior returner in seizing 11 of 16 points against Zverev’s second serve.

“I’m happy that I was able to win in straight sets. To play against your best friend, it’s always tough. If you lose, you have a shit feeling. If you win, you have also shit feeling,” he said on court as chuckles broke out. “It’s a bit weird. But it’s a part of the sport. Sometimes we don’t have our option, so we have to accept those things.”

Rublev improved to 37-14 this season and is aiming to add to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 triumph in Monte Carlo. The 25-year-old remains on a final collision course with top seed Casper Ruud and awaits defending champion Francisco Cerundolo. The No. 4 seed claimed an all-Argentine battle over Federico Coria, 6-3, 6-3.

Ruud also moved through to the semifinals without much resistance thanks to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Sebastian Ofner. Ruud saved all four break points he faced, winning 82 percent of his first serve points. The world No. 4 is bidding to capture his second trophy of the season, following a victorious Estoril Open debut.

For a spot in Sunday’s final, Ruud meets No. 3 seed Lorenzo Musetti. The Italian dug in to beat qualifier Filip Misolic, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.