Rublev believes in his chances against Alcaraz: "I expect him to be under a bit of pressure".

Stuttering for several weeks (4 defeats in a row), Andrey Rublev finds his tennis at the Caja Magica. After three convincing wins (over Bagnis, Davidovich Fokina and Griekspoor), the world number 8 enters the quarter-finals without having conceded a single set.

This Wednesday, he takes on two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Aware of the immense challenge awaiting him, Rublev wants to believe: "Carlos is one of the best players in the world at the moment. It's going to be difficult because he's at home and he's won here for the last two years. I expect him to have a bit of pressure, because when you win a tournament two years in a row, it becomes more complicated, because you want to win even more. In our first match (defeat at the end-of-year Masters in Turin 7-5, 6-2), he beat me quite easily, so I'll try to fight and at least have a better match." (comments relayed by AS).