Márton Fucsovics earned perhaps the biggest win of his career against fifth seed Russian Andrey Rublev in five sets in the round of 16 at the Wimbledon Grand Slam tennis tournament. The Hungarian tennis player rallied past his opponent 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, a huge career milestone for the 29-year-old, as he reached his very first quarter-final at the Slams. The Hungarian athlete, however, can’t celebrate his victory for long, as he will soon face world number one Novak Djokovic in the next round.
Márton Fucsovics started well, confidently winning the first set 6:3. In the second and third sets (both 4:6), Rublev, ranked seventh in the world, fought back, taking the lead from Fucsovics.
In the fourth, the Hungarian turned the tides and outplayed the Russian 6:0, then came the decisive fifth set, in which he took a 3:0 lead, then lost two games in a row, including his service game, but regained momentum at 3:2 and won the final set 6:3.
The first 🇭🇺 man to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final in 30 years 😲
Marton Fucsovics turns the tables on Rublev and scores a 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 comeback victory.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/7c9So4aHdQ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 5, 2021
With his amazing win, for the first time in his career, the best Hungarian tennis player will be able to compete in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament.
Another reason for Fucsovic to be pleased with his accomplishment is the fact that the Russian player has caused him a lot of rivalrous trouble in recent months.
The two athletes have met four times this year alone, in which the Russian has won all four games. Rublev also had the overall advantage, having defeated Fucsovics five times in their seven fights so far. The Hungarian only beat his current opponent twice, first in the qualifying round of the ATP tournament in Barcelona in 2016 and then in the Davis Cup in 2017.
With his victory, Fucsovics, who is also the 2010 Junior Wimbledon Champion, became the third Hungarian man and first in 73 years to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
The 29-year-old will next face world number one and five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Wednesday. The two players have clashed only twice, most recently in Doha two years ago. Both matches brought victory to the Serb tennis legend.
Featured photo by Alberto Pezzali/AP/MTI
