Rafa Nadal Suffers Upset On Clay To Rublev

For only the second time in his career, Rafa Nadal has been beaten in the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo as Andrey Rublev beat him in three sets.

Last time was against David Ferrer in 2014, but this time the Russian required two hours and 32 minutes to beat Nadal 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.

In the very first game, Rublev broke Nadal and in the humid cold, he whipped up a storm and shocked the Spaniard.

Rublev is ranked in the world and showed his quality, serving at speeds of up to 213 kilometres per hour, with no sign of exhaustion despite a nearly three-hour battle with Roberto Bautista in the previous round.

Nadal also made seven double faults to help the 23-year-old starlet on his way to victory on what is considered Nadal’s strongest surface.

From one bubble to another

Following the upset, Nadal left the Monte Carlo bubble and travelled to Barcelona, where he will join a new bubble with PCR tests every 48 hours ahead of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.