Rublev stays red hot, routs Dimitrov in Indian Wells quarter-finals

The three hottest players on the ATP Tour are all through to the Indian Wells semi-finals. Andrey Rublev joined Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz when he cruised past Grigor Dimitrov on Friday.

Tennis – Davis Cup Finals – Madrid Arena, Madrid, Spain – December 5, 2021 Russian Tennis Federation’s Andrey Rublev reacts during his final singles match against Croatia’s Borna Gojo || 214712_0017

Ricky Dimon

March 18, 2022

ATP Indian Wells Masters 1000 | Results | Schedule

Back-to-back titles and a total of 12 wins in a row isn’t enough for Andrey Rublev.

The world No 7 is showing no signs of slowing down, as he extended his winning streak to 13 matches and put himself within two more victories of another trophy after defeating Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 6-2 at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday afternoon. Rublev needed one hour and minutes to book a spot in the semi-finals, where he awaits either Taylor Fritz or Miomir Kecmanovic.

Too strong today 💪@AndreyRublev97 extends his winning streak to 13 with a 7-5 6-2 victory over Dimitrov to reach the semi-finals!#IndianWells pic.twitter.com/1Ic2SOvITC
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 18, 2022

I played really well since the beginning.
Andrey Rublev

Although Dimitrov had faced only two break points in the entire tournament heading into this showdown, Rublev was all over the Bulgarian’s serve from start to finish. The 24-year-old generated 10 break-point chances and converted four of them, so it ended up not mattering that he initially failed to serve out the first set at 5-4. Rublev broke again at 5-5, finishing off the opener on serve at 6-5, and then seized complete control by earning breaks at 1-1 and 3-1 in the second.

“I think that I played really well since the beginning,” said the seventh seed, who arrived in the desert with the momentum of titles in Marseille and Dubai. “It was about who started to dictate the points and play more aggressive. Both of us like to take the forehand and be aggressive.”

Rublev joins Nadal and Alacaraz in final four

Despite the absences of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in addition to Daniil Medvedev’s early exit, the Indian Wells semi-final lineup is already loaded. The two players still alive in the top half of the bracket are Rafael Nadal are Carlos Alcaraz. Nadal is 19-0 in 2022 and Alcaraz is coming off a title in Rio de Janeiro. The three current semi-finalists are a combined 49-2 this season and have won 42 matches in a row (Nadal 19, Rublev 13, and Alcaraz 10).