Márton Fucsovics made it all the way to the final round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, where his six-match win streak was ended by Andrey Rublev.
The deciding match of the tournament was close, Fucsovics, ranked No. 59 in the world, was on the heels of his opponent throughout the entire, almost two-hour long bout. Rublev however, ranked No. 8 globally, managed to prevail in the end 7-6 and 6-4.
Fucsovics said that he did not get enough rest in the days prior to the final, leading to a deterioration in his performance. Regardless of this, he said that he is pleased, and optimistic in his accomplishment.
2️⃣0️⃣ ATP 500 wins (& counting…) 🔥
🎥: @TennisTV | @abnamrowtt pic.twitter.com/cJSk9Z1sD3
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 7, 2021
The Hungarian athlete shared some thoughts on his performance, having noticed significant improvements in his play.
This was a vey positive week for me, I can’t even believe how I played. Having started in the qualifiers I played multiple matches. I feel like my play has improved significantly, and for me this is very important right now.”
Indeed, winning 6 consecutive matches in an ATP 500 tour is no easy task. Fucsovics is the second qualifier in tournament history to make it all the way to the championship match, after Nicolas Escude in 2001.
Just one day prior, Fucsovics defeated Borna Coric, ranked No. 24 globally, in an impressive 6-4, 6-1 match.
Given both Fucsovics and Rublev’s performance in the tournament, everyone knew the final would be worth a watch.
With his second-place finish in the Rotterdam tournament, Fucsovics advanced to No. 46 in the world, and went home with 66 thousand euros. He is set to face Serbian Dusan Lajovic (No. 27) next week for his first round in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.
Featured photo illustration by Zsolt Czeglédi/MTI
