French Open: Lorenzo Sonego stuns Andrey Rublev in five-set thriller; Khachanov advances
Jun 02, 2023
Paris [France], June 2 : The World No. 48 Lorenzo Sonego on Friday scripted a stunning comeback to register a fine win over World No. 7 Andrey Rublev 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 at the ongoing French Open 2023.
Playing at the Court Suzanne Lenglen, the Italian showed great energy and talent, staying in points against the big-hitting Rublev to claim his sixth Top 10 victory.
Sonego will next play against 11th seed Karen Khachanov in the fourth round.
Sonego entered the match on Court Suzanne-Lenglen with a 0-6 record against the Top 20 players, but mixed cunning with power to progress after three hours and 45 minutes. Following his best win of the season, the 28-year-old has risen nine places to No. 39 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Rublev, a two-time quarter-finalist in Paris, was vying for his first major victory this week. He had a good clay swing, winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo before reaching the Banja Luka final.
In another Friday's clash, Karen Khachanov earned his 20th win at French Open when he battled hard to reach the fourth round for the sixth time. The 11th seed Khachanov defeated Australian wild card Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(5) in front of a raucous crowd on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
In 2019, Khachanov reached the quarter-finals in Paris after rallying from two sets to love down in the first round against Constant Lestienne. He hopes to reach that stage again when he plays Sonego in the last 16.
Throughout the first two sets, Khachanov played aggressively, striking 20 winners to seize control. Kokkinakis rallied by winning the third set and had the opportunity to force a deciding set, serving for the fourth set at 5-4. The 27-year-old Khachanov, on the other hand, refused to go away, saving one set point to break back before rallying from 2/4 in the fourth-set tie-break to win in three hours and 44 minutes.
