The umpire was forced to intervene during Andrey Rublev’s victory over Adrian Mannarino after a spectator disturbed the fifth seed by having some food. In an unusual request, the fan was asked to stop eating while Rublev was serving at 4-2 in the first set.
Rublev advanced to the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters on Monday as he ended Mannarino’s winning streak with a dominant 6-3 6-0 win. The world No 7 looked unplayable as he saved two break points in the opening set before winning the last seven games of the match.
But the 25-year-old still found himself distracted by a noise from the crowd early on in the match as he could be seen gesturing towards the stands. The chair official then made an announcement as cameras cut to a man who had been enjoying a snack while watching the contest.
“Can you please stop eating? Thank you very much,” the umpire said as Rublev waved towards the fan. The intervention did work out well for the Russian, who lost just one more game in the match after the distraction stopped.
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Rublev’s victory brought an end to Mannarino’s six-match winning streak as the 35-year-rold had arrived in Shanghai off the back of winning last week’s tournament in Astana. And the fifth seed acknowledged his opponent’s recent run – as well as his own strong form – after the match.
“Sorry, man. I played unreal today,” the Russian smiled as they shook hands at the net. “Good job with Astana.” Rublev will now be hoping to follow Mannarino in picking up another title as he continues his campaign in Shanghai.
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Rublev has now made it to at least the round of 16 in six of the eight Masters played so far this season, with his only early exits coming in Canada and Cincinnati. The world No 7 finally captured his first title at Masters 1000 level in Monte Carlo earlier this year and could add another to his tally this week.
The 14-time title winner takes on 12th seed Tommy Paul on Wednesday with a quarter-final spot on the line. The pair have faced off five times in the past with Rublev winning four of the encounters but their Shanghai showdown will mark their first meeting of 2023.
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