Russian Andrey Rublyov has reached the second round of the Hamburg European Open tennis tournament, benefiting from his strong first serve.
The 24-year-old world number eight defeated Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-4 and will meet Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, who won the clay court tournament in Bastad, Sweden, just last Sunday, in the last 16. With twelve aces in two sets, Rublyov marked a top score.
As the 2020 tournament winner, he has many sympathies among the Hamburg audience. “The atmosphere here is always great,” he said. The Russian is seeded number two in the Hanseatic city behind Spanish young star Carlos Alcaraz. German men are no longer taking part in the clay court tournament at Rothenbaum.
