By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Andrey Rublev rallied back from the brink to dump rising star Holger Rune out of the Australian Open and book a second quarter-final at Melbourne Park with a see-sawing 6-3 3-6 6-3 4-6 7-6(11-9) win over the Danish wunderkind.
In a final-set tiebreak of unrelenting tension, Rune saved two match points but was powerless to save the third as Rublev took the win with a return of serve that clipped the net and popped over, leaving the Dane no chance.
Rublev had come back from 5-0 in the 10-point tiebreak and earlier saved two match points to level the match.
Rublev will meet the winner of Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Neil Fullick)