Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori picked up his fourth Top 10 win when he upset World No. 8 Andrey Rublev 7-6(10), 5-7, 7-6(3) in a three hour, 16-minute marathon at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati Tuesday night.
Avenging a four-set loss to Rublev at this year's Australian Open to improve his Lexus ATP Head2Head record against the seventh seed to 1-2, Ruusuvuori benefitted from Rublev's modest 50 per cent first-serve percentage.
The 24-year-old, who also defeated Jannik Sinner in 's-Hertogenbosch in his previous match against a member of the Top 10, has set a first-time meeting with Australian lucky loser Alexei Popyrin.
Rublev entered the North American hard-court swing poised to consolidate his claim to a berth at the Nitto ATP Finals, but after opening-round exits in Toronto and Cincinnati, he has given the chasing pack a chance to displace him from sixth position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.
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