Griekspoor stuns Rublev in Dubai despite injury scare to set up Medvedev final

Tallon Griekspoor’s journey to the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Friday evening was a testament to sheer grit, as the Dutchman overcame both a formidable opponent and a physically debilitating injury.

Griekspoor secured a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6(6) victory over the fifth-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev, but the result was in doubt until the very last ball due to a hamstring issue that left the world No. 25 questioning his ability to finish the contest.

The match was a masterclass in serving, with neither player yielding a break point until the tail end of the first set. At 6-5, Griekspoor seized his only opportunity, converting his first break point to take the opener 7-5 shortly after receiving medical treatment for his leg.

Bublik, Mensik and now Rublev…

The second set intensified as Rublev tightened his game, winning 92% of his first-serve points and facing zero break points. The Russian appeared poised to force a decider when he held two set points at 6-4 in the tiebreak, but Griekspoor produced a remarkable sequence of points to roar back and win four straight, sealing the match 8-6.

After the handshake, an exhausted Griekspoor admitted he could “barely walk” and was uncertain if he would have continued had the match gone to a third set. Having already knocked out Alexander Bublik and Jakub Mensik this week, he now faces Daniil Medvedev.

While his physical status remains a concern, Griekspoor intends to compete for the biggest title of his career against a man seeking to break his own geographical title curse.

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