It was a good week for Lucas Pouille, but the Rublev step was a bit too high for the two-time finalist from Marseille (2017 and 2018). However, the Frenchman didn't make any figuration on the court against the world number 7. He even led by a break in the third set. Unfortunately for him, Pouille, now ranked 154th in the world in the ATP rankings, did not manage to hold on to this advantage. The break of his opponent was then fatal, not only on the scoreboard, but also psychologically. Andrey Rublev, who had already needed three sets to defeat Richard Gasquet in the previous round, won 6-3 1-6 6-2 after 1 hour and 41 minutes of play.
The Russian will once again face a Frenchman, Benjamin Bonzi, in the semi-finals. Once again, Rublev will face a player who is not ranked as high on paper - 62 places separate Rublev and Bonzi - but who will have the public behind him and, above all, who has nothing to lose against him. This is the price to pay for being in the top ten. It is a problem for the rich, but Bonzi, who will be playing his first semi-final on the circuit, could well benefit from it.
