Rublev upends Dimitrov, scores another US Open win for the young'uns
The kids are alright.
Russian 19-year-old Andrey Rublev became the latest member of the ATP Next Gen to make waves at this US Open, toppling No. 7 seed Grigor Dimitrov in the second round Thursday, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-3. It's the first career top-10 win for Rublev, and propels him to his first-ever Grand Slam third round.
Dimitrov came into the tournament fresh off a breakthrough Masters title in Cincinnati, but never seemed to find a good rhythm against Rublev, who kept him deep, off-balance, and constantly on the move.
Dimitrov led the first set 5-2 and the second 4-1, but it was the teenager who proved more composed, who refused to roll over. He attacked Dimitrov's second serve, methodically broke him down from the baseline, pushed him from one wing to the other, and took bold risks when Dimitrov seemed unwilling to.
The result feels symbolic of the tectonic shift that's begun in the men's game. As the old guard lingers on the seat of power, Rublev's generation of ambitious expansionists appear to be the ones coming after the crown, stepping over Dimitrov's Lost Generation in the process. With other notable members of that generation either absent (Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic) or hobbled (Marin Cilic), the door was open for the youths in New York.
They've proved more than up to the challenge thus far. Nineteen-year-old Frances Tiafoe took Roger Federer to five sets in the first round, and 18-year-old Denis Shapovalov dusted Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets in the second, before Rublev joined the fray Thursday. Alexander Zverev has been leading the generation's vanguard, and came to the US Open as one of the betting favorites. He lost, but the guy who beat him was fellow 20-year-old and Next Gen dignitary Borna Coric.
As Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Stan Wawrinka try to regather their strength, and Federer and Rafa Nadal make their last stand, the kids are offering up a glimpse of the game's future. Which may be closer to the present than we'd anticipated.