HAMBURG (AFP) – Daniel Altmaier stunned world number seven Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-2 to reach the Hamburg ATP quarter-finals on Thursday as top seed Casper Ruud racked up his 22nd clay-court win of the season.
Germany’s Altmaier, ranked at 61, ended Rublev’s five-match winning streak after 75 minutes and will face either Zhang Zhizhen or Yannick Hanfmann for a place in the semi-finals.
Rublev had arrived in Hamburg having captured the Bastad title at the weekend but had to save three match points to defeat Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles in his opening match on Wednesday.
Ruud made the lasty-eight by beating Cristian Garin of Chile 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.
“Cristian played much better than me at the beginning,” Ruud said.
“He broke me right away and was returning from all corners. I had no answers, but just tried to stay in there in the second set and told myself to keep going, maybe I will get a chance.”
Only Carlos Alcaraz, with 25 wins, has more tour-level victories on clay in 2023 than Ruud who next faces Arthur Fils for a semi-final spot.
