Andrey Rublev let his temper get the best of him at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Friday. Rublev exploded on a line judge and was defaulted from his semifinal match against No. 7 seed Alexander Bublik.
Rublev, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, and Bublik were locked in an intense battle with a trip to the final on the line. The third set was tied, 5-5, when the line judge deemed one of Rublev’s shots to be out of bounds. The call gave Bublik a 6-5 lead in the set, and Rublev immediately flew off the handle.
Rublev went over to the line judge and began yelling at him. Rublev also pointed to the spot on the court where he thought the ball hit, further berating the line judge.
After the incident, a Russian-speaking official alleged that Rublev was cursing out the line judge in his native language. Rublev vehemently denied that accusation while sitting on his bench.
“I was not even talking in Russian,” Rublev said.
Eventually, tournament officials ruled that Rublev would be disqualified for his behavior. Although that sent Bublik straight to the championship match, he insisted upon his desire to decide the semifinal winner on the court.
“I’m OK to continue,” Bublik said.
The crowd was clearly displeased with the decision, booing as the players left the court, but Rublev will fall short of the final after letting his emotions get the best of him. Bublik advances to take on the winner of No. 5 seed Ugo Humbert and No. 1 seed Daniil Medvedev.
