Andrey Rublev “Feeling Fantastic” After Claiming First Title in One and a Half Years

Following a disappointing grass-court season, Andrey Rublev sought and claimed redemption at the Bastad Open on Sunday (July 19). The former World No.5 delivered a near-perfect display to beat Luciano Darderi in straight sets, ending his nearly 17-month wait for his 18th ATP tour-level championship.

Rublev had failed to win a single match on the grass court, losing to Hubert Hurkacz in the opening match of the Terra Wortmann Open and then falling to qualifier Roman Safiullin in five sets in the first round at Wimbledon. Having reached the round of 16 of the grass-court Grand Slam last year, he dropped outside the Top 15 following the early exit.

However, he bounced back brilliantly at the Bastad Open against Darderi. The championship match was expected to be a tough one between Rublev and Darderi, who had reached the semi-finals of the French Open last week. But Rublev made easy work of the Italian star threat on the court.

After a difficult opening, Rublev found a way to tie the score 4-4 and then surged to five straight games from that point through 3-0 in the second set. Darderi tried to push back, but that was too late as the World No.14 ran away with the 6-4, 6-3 win after an hour and 17 minutes on the court.

The last time Rublev won a title before Bastad was at the Qatar Open last year in February. This is his second championship at the ATP 250 tournament, having also triumphed in 2023. Speaking to Championat after the win, Rublev admitted to feeling fantastic with his performance while happy with the improvements in his game:

This victory is a fantastic feeling. My success is no secret: I simply tried to play tennis, gave it my all, and it paid off. I’m delighted that my game has improved. I sometimes let my emotions show, but I stayed focused and didn’t give my opponents any easy points this week. I need to keep progressing, and this victory gives me confidence… I’m happy I was able to perform well this week and was able to win the title.

Rublev won four consecutive matches en route to the title at the Bastad Open, the first time since April. The last time he won four matches was at the Barcelona Open, where he reached the final but lost the title to Arthur Fils in straight sets. He has been to just two finals on tour this 2026 season.

Andrey Rublev says he had to contend with the tumultuous conditions at Bastad

Andrey Rublev didn’t just compete against Luciano Darderi at the Bastad Open, but also against the heavy conditions of the court. Rain had fallen before the match kicked off, and that made the court a bit wet. The ball didn’t bounce with its usual force, and the atmosphere was cloudy. Rublev pointed to his team on some occasions about the wet clay court

However, Rublev’s calmness on the court made it a bit easier for him to deal with the conditions. He won 87 percent of his first serve points to end his five-match losing streak against top 20 players. Rublev revealed during his on-court interview that the conditions of the court were not favorable for him:

It was difficult because the conditions were completely different. Today was super cold, cloudy and the ball was heavy. The court is very wet, so the conditions were extremely different to yesterday when it was windy and sunny. Today was heavy conditions… It was more rallies, different tennis. In the end we both had chances, especially in the first set. it’s just I was bit more lucky in the important moments and I was able to turn them around.

Rublev is expected to be back on the court this week at the ATP Challenger in Estoril, Portugal. The tournament will be played on clay, which is the right setting for the World No.14. He’s the top seed and favorite to win the tournament, ahead of the Canadian Masters, which begins in August.

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