Kovacevic stuns Rublev to reach Montpellier Open Final

Aleksandar Kovacevic secured a major victory on Saturday by defeating Andrey Rublev in straight sets to advance to the Montpellier Open final.

Kovacevic’s impressive performance saw the American dominate the top-seeded Rublev with a 7-5, 6-4 win in just under an hour and a half, marking the biggest milestone of his tennis career.

“It seems like every day we have the same conversation about me playing the best match I ever played,” Kovacevic said after the match.

“My level has definitely been good this week. Andrey is an incredible player.

I have been watching him for years. Just stepping on the court with someone like this is a privilege.”

Entering the match as a heavy underdog at Bovada, Kovacevic credited his lack of expectations for helping him play freely.

“When you’re an underdog, playing a top-10 opponent like that, you’re a lot more free,” he explained.

“You have to go for it against these guys. I’m honored to be on court with them, but if you don’t show up, they’re going to take it, just like they always do.”

On Sunday, Kovacevic will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the tournament final.

The Canadian reached the championship match with a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over Jesper de Jong in the semifinals.

Auger-Aliassime, appearing in his second final of the year and first indoor final since winning the Swiss Indoors Basel in 2022, reflected on how past experiences helped him navigate his semifinal match.

“I was very focused until the very end, until the last ball,” he said.

“I have lost matches like this where you miss the forehand, and all of a sudden, you’re in a third set.

The second set was very tricky, up and down. I started serving less well and kept him in the match, but in the end, I was glad I was able to come back and win in two sets.

So I tried to stay calm and very focused until the end. Not every match is going to be a straight road forward, so to pull it through in straight sets is a great thing.”

Heading into Sunday’s final, Auger-Aliassime is the strong favorite with the online casinos to win his seventh career title.

Tennis sportsbooks have him at -275 to claim victory, while Kovacevic is a +220 underdog.