Russia’s Rublev to clash with World No. 1 Sinner in 2026 Italian Open quarterfinals

ROME, May 12. /TASS/. Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 ATP Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome after beating Nikoloz Basilashvili from Georgia on Tuesday. In a match that lasted for two hours and 13 minutes, the 12th-seeded Rublev, who is playing under a neutral status at the tournament, outplayed his Georgian opponent, who joined the tournament as a qualifier, 3-6; 7-6 (7-5); 6-2. In the quarterfinals, the Russian is set to face off against top-seed Jannik Sinner of Italy, who earlier breezed past compatriot Andrea Pellegrino in straight sets 6-2; 6-3. Rublev, 28, is currently the 14th-ranked player in the world. He has won 17 career ATP singles tournament titles and four more in men’s doubles. Rublev has never made it past the quarterfinals in any Grand Slam. The Russian tennis player took home the gold at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in mixed doubles (with teammate Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova) and also won the 2021 Davis Cup as part of the Russian national team. The 2026 Italian Open tennis tournament is an ATA 1000 event. Played on outdoor clay courts, the 83rd edition of the tourney takes place at Rome’s Foro Italico sports complex on May 5-17 and offers some $9.6 million in prize money. The tournament’s reigning champion is Carlos Alcaraz from Spain, who earlier withdrew from the current tournament citing an injury. On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine as the reason. Following the IOC's recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations moved to exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1, 2022, to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations while also canceling all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in the two countries. On March 14, 2022, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition on the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from participating in the 2022 Davis Cup and the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.