The first semi-final of the day was between the Russian No. 2 seed Andrey Rublev and the most Marseilles-based of the Nîmes players, Benjamin Bonzi. For the 30th edition of the tournament, the latter had inherited the status of n°9 seed, following the withdrawal of Gianluca Mager, initially n°8. This was not enough for the Frenchman, who was beaten in three sets 6-3 4-6 6-3.
Not surprisingly, it was Rublev who attacked the first set by breaking his opponent in the third game, with the score at 1-1. Is this enough of an advantage for the world number 7? The first set of the tournament was a very close one, but Benjamin Bonzi, an ultra regional player, took advantage of the crowd's support to make up for the deficit when he was down 3-2. His joy was short-lived, however, as Rublev broke again in the very next game to go ahead 4-3. Two games later, the Russian took the first set (6-3).
In the second set, the waiters take over until the fateful seventh game. Bonzi found himself with a 0-40 lead on the Russian's serve. The latter, after his match against Gasquet in the second round, admitted that he could "never come back from 0-40". The unwritten rule was confirmed once again with Bonzi's break point. The Frenchman held on to his next two games to level the match at 6-4.
Having already beaten two Frenchmen since his debut (Gasquet and Pouille), each time in three sets, can Andrey Rublev do it again? The third and final set started like the first one, with the Russian breaking quickly 3-0, 4-1 and 5-2. This one-set advantage was enough for Rublev to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 (1 hour and 51 minutes), making this his first final at the Open 13 Provence, but already his 14th on the circuit since the beginning of his career. He will face either Felix Auger-Aliassime for a rematch of the Montpellier semi-final or his compatriot Roman Safiullin for a Russian 100% final. To be continued...
