"Sorry man, I played unreal today" - Andrey Rublev cheekily apologizes to Adrian Mannarino after dominant win in Shanghai Masters 3R clash
Such was the dominant nature of Andrey Rublev's win against Adrian Mannarino in the third round of the 2023 Shanghai Masters that the former cheekily apologized to the Frenchman after the match.
On Monday, October 9, Rublev and Mannarino locked horns with a place in the fourth round of the Masters 1000 event on the line. The latter came into the match with an eight-match win streak but was powerless to stop the Russian.
Rublev hit 35 winners and registered just five unforced errors to seal a 6-3, 6-0 win in just 63 minutes. When the duo shook hands at the net after the match, the 25-year-old apologized for the result, saying:
"Sorry man, I played unreal today."
That said, Rublev was quick to congratulate Mannarino on his title win at the Astana Open, where the Frenchman defeated the likes of Arthur Rinderknech, Alibek Kachmazov, Jurij Rodionov, Sebastian Ofner, and Sebastian Korda to reign supreme.
"Good job with Astana," Rublev told Mannarino.
Rublev now has a 15-6 win-loss record in ATP Masters 1000 events this season, with the highlight being his Monte-Carlo Open title win. In Shanghai, he will next face American Tommy Paul, who defeated 12th seed Arthur Fils 6-4, 6(7)-7, 6-4 in his third-round match.
Fans shower Andrey Rublev with gifts at Shanghai Masters
Andrey Rublev got his Asia swing underway at the ATP 500 China Open, where he came from a set down to beat Cameron Norrie 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the first round. His campaign in Beijing, however, came to an end in the following round after losing to Ugo Humbert 7-5, 3-6, 6(3)-7.
Now, at the ongoing Shanghai Masters, he has clearly become one of the fan favorites, as evident by all the gifts they have showered him with. The Russian spoke about it in a post-match interview at the Masters 1000 event, stating that one of the gifts he received was a CD of American rock band Linkin Park.
"It's many gifts these two weeks," he said, adding, "[Got a Linkin Park CD] just because I like Linkin Park and that's why, so there is not really a story behind it. It's just I like this band and that's why."
The World No. 7 further listed toys, food, stickers, and statues of himself were among the other gifts he has received from the fans.
"A lot of toys, a lot of, I don't even know their names, like my faces. Statues as well. Marks that you put like this, I don't know how you call it. Toys, food, so many things," he disclosed.