{"id":2048557,"date":"2026-07-17T14:33:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2048557"},"modified":"2026-07-17T14:33:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:33:47","slug":"andrey-rublevs-win-over-sebastian-baez-delivered-an-unexpected-twist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2048557","title":{"rendered":"Andrey Rublev’s win over Sebastian Baez delivered an unexpected twist"},"content":{"rendered":"
<!–qv q:id=5y q:key=vcaa:<\/p>\n

Andrey Rublev struggled to get through<\/a> his round-of-16 match at the 2026 Nordea Open, and one might have logically assumed his quarterfinal match against Sebastian Baez, a clay-court specialist, would be far more difficult. It wasn't.<\/p>\n

–><\/p>\n

Andrey Rublev struggled to get through<\/a> his round-of-16 match at the 2026 Nordea Open, and one might have logically assumed his quarterfinal match against Sebastian Baez, a clay-court specialist, would be far more difficult. It wasn’t.<\/p>\n

<!–qv q:id=61 q:key=vcaa:<\/p>\n

Rublev, a 2023 winner at the tournament in Bastad, Sweden, played with elite precision, seemingly taking advantage of any chance he had to take a point. He won the first set 6-1 by dominating rallies and not giving Baez any real hope.<\/p>\n

–><\/p>\n

Rublev, a 2023 winner at the tournament in Bastad, Sweden, played with elite precision, seemingly taking advantage of any chance he had to take a point. He won the first set 6-1 by dominating rallies and not giving Baez any real hope.<\/p>\n

<!–qv q:id=64 q:key=vcaa:<\/p>\n

Even when Baez won a point, he probably felt as if he needed to hit an extra shot or two just to do so. Rublev wasn't simply playing well; he was performing at near his best level. On clay in that form, he could challenge anyone, including the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.<\/p>\n

–><\/p>\n

Even when Baez won a point, he probably felt as if he needed to hit an extra shot or two just to do so. Rublev wasn’t simply playing well; he was performing at near his best level. On clay in that form, he could challenge anyone, including the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.<\/p>\n

<!–qv q:id=67 q:key=vcaa:<\/p>\n

Andrey Rublev runs roughshod over Sebastian Baez at the Nordeo Open<\/h2>\n

–><\/p>\n

Andrey Rublev runs roughshod over Sebastian Baez at the Nordeo Open<\/h2>\n

<!–qv q:id=6a q:key=vcaa:<\/p>\n

Rublev was also outthinking Baez. In the second set, with the Argentinian barely hanging on and serving at 30-40 down 2-4, Baez missed on his first serve. On his second, Rublev stepped inside the court at the perfect time and blasted a forehand winner. It was an example of how he had played the entire match.<\/p>\n

–><\/p>\n

Rublev was also outthinking Baez. In the second set, with the Argentinian barely hanging on and serving at 30-40 down 2-4, Baez missed on his first serve. On his second, Rublev stepped inside the court at the perfect time and blasted a forehand winner. It was an example of how he had played the entire match.<\/p>\n

<!–qv q:id=6d q:key=vcaa:<\/p>\n

The Russian was probably in a bit of a rush to finish off the match for a couple of reasons. One was that a storm was brewing not far away from the venue, and he didn't want play to be stopped because of lightning when he was playing so well.<\/p>\n

–><\/p>\n

The Russian was probably in a bit of a rush to finish off the match for a couple of reasons. One was that a storm was brewing not far away from the venue, and he didn’t want play to be stopped because of lightning when he was playing so well.<\/p>\n

<!–qv q:id=6g q:key=vcaa:<\/p>\n

The other reason was that his semifinal opponent, Alejandro Tabilo, will have a full day's rest ahead of the meeting. Tabilo was set to face Thiago Agustin Tirante in his quarterfinal match, but the Argentinian withdrew, and the Chilean won by walkover. <\/p>\n

–><\/p>\n

The other reason was that his semifinal opponent, Alejandro Tabilo, will have a full day’s rest ahead of the meeting. Tabilo was set to face Thiago Agustin Tirante in his quarterfinal match, but the Argentinian withdrew, and the Chilean won by walkover. <\/p>\n

<!–qv q:id=6j q:key=vcaa:<\/p>\n

Had Andrey Rublev been forced<\/a> to go three sets against Baez, he would have been a bit more tired for the semifinal match. With an easy victory, the Russian will be as rested as if he had a practice session. Maybe even more so because Baez was so overwhelmed that he offered little resistance against Rublev. <\/p>\n

–><\/p>\n

Had Andrey Rublev been forced<\/a> to go three sets against Baez, he would have been a bit more tired for the semifinal match. With an easy victory, the Russian will be as rested as if he had a practice session. Maybe even more so because Baez was so overwhelmed that he offered little resistance against Rublev. <\/p>\n

<!–qv q:id=6m q:key=vcaa:<\/p>\n

Should he reach the final, Rublev could potentially face the two-seed Luciano Darderi. That would make for must-watch tennis for fans.<\/p>\n

–><\/p>\n

Should he reach the final, Rublev could potentially face the two-seed Luciano Darderi. That would make for must-watch tennis for fans.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
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<!–qv q:id=5y q:key=vcaa: Andrey Rublev struggled to get through his round-of-16 match at the 2026 Nordea Open, and one might have logically assumed his quarterfinal match against Sebastian Baez, a clay-court specialist, would be far more difficult. It wasn't. –> Andrey Rublev struggled to get through his round-of-16 match at the 2026 Nordea Open, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,265],"class_list":["post-2048557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-lobandsmash-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2048557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048557\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2048557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2048557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2048557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}