Andrey Rublev dethrones Jannik Sinner in Montreal for second win over a world No. 1

A Saturday that started well for Andrey Rublev got even better by the time the night ended.

Already having secured a first quarterfinal at the Canadian Masters 1000 event by beating Brandon Nakashima in the afternoon, fifth-seeded Rublev sealed a spot in his fifth semifinal of the season with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 win over top seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner in the nightcap.

Both Rublev and Sinner played twice on Saturday after Friday's play in Montreal was canceled due to rain without a match being completed, and Sinner appeared to struggle physically during the late stages against Rublev. He did not take a medical timeout, but massaged a troublesome right hip—an injury that has plagued him this year—and was found doubled over at the back of the court at the close of more than a few grueling rallies.

The win over Sinner is the second in five career meetings for Rublev against a reigning world No. 1, and first since he beat Novak Djokovic to win in Belgrade two summers ago. He had also lost five of seven previous matches against Sinner.

What's more, the Russian last won three consecutive matches in May on his way to the Mutua Madrid Open title, his first victory at Masters 1000 level.

After losing five straight games to drop the second set, Rublev stopped Sinner's momentum in its tracks by saving five break points in the opening game of the deciding set. He broke the top seed in the next game, lost just three points on serve in the rest of the set, and broke Sinner for a third time to seal the victory.

In all, Rublev saved 10 of the 12 break points he faced.

"It was a really great match of mine. I was playing really well today and I'm happy that I was able to win," Rublev said post-match. "I was just hoping that I would be able to fight with him, to show great tennis. In the end, I think we had a lot of great rallies, a lot of long rallies.

"To be able to win this kind of match, of course it's always special, and of course I needed those matches, especially after some bad moments this year. So of course I'm happy."

For a spot in the final, Rublev will play either former Top 10 player Kei Nishikori or Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who is contesting his first career Masters 1000 quarterfinal.