Andrey Rublev wins Mubadala World Tennis Championship with straight-sets victory over Andy Murray
Andrey Rublev won the Mubadala World Tennis Championship by defeating Andy Murray in the final in straight sets on Saturday.
Both players began well, holding their serve until the Russian secured the first break of the match in the fifth game. This turned out to be decisive as Rublev went on to claim the first set 6-4.
The World No. 5 started the second set brilliantly by breaking Murray in the very first game. However, the Scot fought back hard and eventually broke Rublev in the eighth game. The top seed held his nerve to take the second set to a tie-break, where he pulled away from the Scot.
Murray, who beat Rafael Nadal and Dan Evans en route to the final, seemed in good spirits after the defeat.
"I have been pretty healthy over the last three months, I've got to play a lot of matches. I just need to find a way of turning some of these matches against the top players around and hopefully I can have some big runs in the biggest tournaments again, that's my goal. I'm trying as hard as I can to do that," Murray said.
The first Russian to win #MWTC, @AndreyRublev97 🥇🇷🇺 https://t.co/iDZpnQ3z0H
Rublev, meanwhile, had a fine finish to 2021, winning the Mubadala World Tennis Championship not long after helping Russia win the Davis Cup in Madrid.
Andy Murray will be looking to impress in 2022
Andy Murray produced some promising performances in the past couple of months, defeating the likes of Hubert Hurkacz and Jannik Sinner. The 34-year-old was the lowest-ranked player in Abu Dhabi but managed to defeat two opponents who were ranked much higher than him. He also made things difficult for Rublev in the final.
Murray's run at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship will be a morale booster for him ahead of next season.
Rublev, meanwhile, will begin his 2022 season at the ATP Cup, representing reigning champions Russia. Russia have been drawn in Group B with Italy, Austria and Australia.