Rublev edges Auger-Aliassime to reach his 3rd Qatar Open final

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Andrey Rublev edged Félix Auger-Aliassime 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5) to reach another Qatar Open final on Friday.

The 10th-ranked Rublev needed four match points to close out No. 23 Auger-Aliassime for the sixth time in seven matchups.

Rublev lost the 2018 final in Doha but won in 2020.

He withstood 21 aces from the Canadian over the nearly three-hour match.

“(It took) everything. It was super tough today,” Rublev said. ”He was serving well and I was just saying, ‘Okay, I cannot do much, this is one of the best servers on tour. I just need to try to guess and when I have a moment, just go for it.’"

In his 27th career final and first since August, he will play the winner of the other semifinal between eighth-seeded Jack Draper and Jiri Lehecka, who eliminated Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis