The first semifinal at the 2024 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships took a surprising turn on Friday as Andrey Rublev was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct, trailing 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 5-6 against Alexander Bublik.
Bublik, the No. 7 seed, had faced his own moment of frustration when he smashed a racquet following a disagreement with umpire Miri Bley. Despite this, he made a comeback from 4-2 down and break points in the final set, holding for 6-5. The turning point occurred when Rublev, the No. 2 seed, screamed at a linesman during the change of ends, seemingly upset about a Bublik shot on the baseline.
A Russian-speaking official reported to Bley and tournament supervisor Roland Herfel that Rublev had used an obscenity in Russian at the linesman. Despite Rublev’s denial and insistence that he hadn’t spoken Russian during the incident, he was immediately defaulted. Bublik, also a Russian speaker representing Kazakhstan, was denied his request to continue the match despite earning the victory.
The Dubai crowd expressed their shock, booing the result as a dejected Rublev left Center Court. The defending champion in Dubai from 2022, Rublev aimed for a third consecutive final at the tournament after finishing as the runner-up to Medvedev last February. Despite receiving a walkover into the semis, Rublev’s hopes were dashed as Bublik staged a comeback, winning the final four points of the second-set tiebreaker and recovering from 2-4 down in the decider.
Both Rublev and Bublik expressed frustration as they were keen to review the footage after the match. Bublik will now face the winner of the second semifinal between defending champion Medvedev and Ugo Humbert.
Drama Unfolds: Bublik Advances to Dubai Final as Rublev Faces Disqualification
