London [UK]: Andrey Rublev produced a fine performance to reach the second round at Wimbledon 2023 as he clawed past Australian Max Purcell 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.
“I am really happy to be back. You always want to win in straight sets, but it is never simple,” Rublev was quoted as saying by ATP.com. “I was 2-5 down in the second set and I was lucky to be able to come back because in my head I was already preparing for the third set. I hit a few good shots and I was able to come back and I played really well at the end of the second set. To play here with full stadiums at 11 am, that is a special feeling,” Rublev said.
Rublev will next face Aslan Karatsev whose highest finish at SW19 was a fourth-round appearance in 2021. The 25-year-old was in excellent shape when she came to London after winning the title match in Halle a month ago.
Elsewhere, The Australian Jordan Thompson earlier pulled off a stunning turnaround to down Brandon Nakashima 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-3. His second-round challenge at the All-England Club will be a maiden ATP Head2Head meeting with Novak Djokovic.
