Surging Stars Collide – Fritz and Rublev Book Semifinal Showdown

The minute that five-time champion Novak Djokovic vacated his place in the lower half of the men’s singles draw, the buzzword was opportunity. 

It knocked, and Taylor Fritz and Andrey Rublev were quick to answer the door. 

The pair, who have split their four previous meetings, will meet for the fifth time in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals on Saturday, with both seeking their first trip to the final. 

They have met in the California desert once before, with Fritz notching a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over Rublev in the second round in 2018. Much has changed since. Fritz, who was ranked 74 at the time, is a card-carrying member of the top-20 now; Rublev, ranked 31 four years ago at Indian Wells, cracked the top-10 in October of 2020 and has emerged as one of the premier forces in men’s tennis, notching nine titles since the start of 2020, and recording 111 victories on tour. 

“It’s crazy,” Fritz said told reporters on Friday. “I mean, especially me and Andrey have so much history playing each other in the juniors so much. We had several meetings in the juniors. He took me out on grass one time. I got him in the finals in Mexico one time. He got me in the finals of the junior masters. We’ve gone back and forth so much”.

“It’s crazy just to think back. You go back to 2018 when we played here. I’m thinking back when we were 17 years old playing in the juniors, just like before either one of us was having any kind of professional results. It’s really cool to see how we’ve come up together and the kind of results we’re producing now.”

Rublev is aware of the challenge Fritz presents. The No. 7 seed will enter the contest as the favorite, but he’s on Fritz’s turf and knows the American has the capacity to take the racquet out of his hands.

“He’s a great player, so talented,” Rublev said. “He has won many good matches. He has an amazing serve; good, strong shots. Especially here on a hard surface the way he plays fits this a lot.”

Rublev and Fritz – Constant Improvement 

Most players would be worn down by the sheer volume of matches that Rublev plays – nearly 150 since the start of 2020 – but the ferocious baseliner is one of those horses that never wants to stop running. 

“I’m really enjoying tennis,” he told the tournament. “I really love this sport. I’m enjoying traveling. I’m enjoying practicing. I really want to improve. At the moment I feel I’m young and I’m really motivated to improve, to be a better player. It’s like sometimes I cannot wait to go to play in the next tournament, you know?” 

Unstoppable 👊@AndreyRublev97 reels off a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Grigor Dimitrov to win his 1️⃣3️⃣th straight match#IndianWells pic.twitter.com/5gQf8DStfy

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 18, 2022

Rublev’s strong suit is his humility, as his constant quest to improve has characterized his surge up the rankings these last two seasons. 

“I try to improve everything. I try to improve my backhand to be able to play more aggressively. I try to improve my defense,” he said on Friday after dispatching Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. “I’m trying. If I still am not doing that really well, it means that I still have potential to be a better player. I think this is good for me.”

Fritz sees his day-to-day mission similarly. Like Rublev, the American turns over every rock to improve his tennis, and that hard work is the reason he’s into his second Masters 1000 semifinal in less than six months.

“My average level has definitely gone up,” he said. “I think that’s what defines a lot of us as players, is how we do when we’re just playing our normal level. I’ve put in a lot of work. I think I need to keep working. I’m excited because I have a lot of things I can still improve on.”

Fritz Through in Three Again, Over Kecmanovic 

With the opening set of his quarterfinal with Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic resting on a knife edge, Taylor Fritz crouched behind his baseline as the Stadium 1 crowd went silent. The No.20-seeded American had just squandered four points in succession, but it would take more than that to chip away at the wall of confidence that he has erected since his breakout run to the Indian Wells semifinals last October. 

Kecmanovic served, commencing a long, grinding 18-stroke rally. In it we saw an athlete buoyed by self-belief and comfortable in his ability to master the big stage. Fritz worked the point, first defending, then attacking as he finished with a forehand winner into the open court. 

The 24-year-old Rancho Sante Fe native boomed a body serve on the next point to claim the set, 7-6(5). 

There would be further adversity to face – Kecmanovic took the second set on the strength of a single break – and Fritz would handle that as well. He rolled out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back, clinching his second consecutive trip to the semifinals at Indian Wells, and improving his lifetime record at his hometown tournament to an impressive 13-5. 

Love you too, @Taylor_Fritz97 😘#IndianWellspic.twitter.com/7oxuMSSezD

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 18, 2022

“I’m so happy,” Fritz said. “I knew that I was going to be dealing with a lot of nerves today, it’s a huge match and I kind of forgot how to play tennis for one game there in the second set but I’m really proud of the fact that I did that and I was kind of able to mentally pull myself back together, regroup and play a really solid third set.” 

Fritz has won three consecutive three-setters here in California, and he is now the first American man to reach back-to-back semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open since Andy Roddick in 2009 and 2010. 

Rublev Marches Past Dimitrov in Straight Sets 

Andrey Rublev has traveled under the radar at this year’s BNP Paribas Open, the 24-year-old quietly downing his competition while the tennis world focuses its collective gaze on Rafael Nadal and his mind-blowing 19-0 start to the 2022 season. 

Never fear – Andrey’s still here. 

Rublev prolonged his stay in the California desert beneath perfect blue skies on Friday in Stadium 1, notching a decisive 7-5, 6-2 victory over Grigor Dimitrov to stretch his current winning streak to 13 matches – just two shy of his career best. 

Unstoppable 👊@AndreyRublev97 reels off a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Grigor Dimitrov to win his 1️⃣3️⃣th straight match#IndianWells pic.twitter.com/5gQf8DStfy

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 18, 2022

The pair had split four previous meetings but on Friday it was clear which player was in superior form. 

“I played many matches with Grigor, many matches he won, some matches I won as well,” said Rublev. “I knew that today I had to serve well, because the way he played from the baseline, the way he moves, the way he plays with the forehand, it was going to be really tough if I would play a bit passive – I knew that I had to be aggressive, so it was more about which player was able to dictate first.” 

Dimitrov had not dropped a set through three rounds, surrendering just two breaks of serve on his way to the quarterfinals, but his luck quickly ran out on Friday. Rublev broke serve four times on ten break point opportunities, and ran through eight of the final ten games of the match, breaking open a match that looked close at 5-5 in the first set.

The No. 7 seed has already notched two titles this season, at Marseille and Dubai, and has raised seven trophies since the start of 2021. He improves his record to 18-2 in 2022. 

Rublev has yet to drop a set this year at Indian Wells as well, and he reaches his fourth Masters 1000 semifinal since the start of 2021, and his first of the season. 

Is he ready to take a maiden Masters 1000 title here in California? 

“Of course it would be really special for me, but it’s too early for me to talk about this,” Rublev told the crowd. “I just arrived at the semifinal, and we’ll see what will happen tomorrow – Rafa is still in the draw also, so it’s too early to talk.”