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Tennis fans on social media were delighted to see Brazil's Thiago Seyboth Wild lose to Russia's Andrey Rublev in the first round at the Australian Open on Sunday, January 14.
Rublev survived a big scare against Seyboth Wild, who produced a spirited show. The Russian took control of the match by securing the first two sets but Seyboth Wild responded strongly and clinched the third and fourth sets to set up a fifth-set showdown.
The Brazilian pushed Rublev even further as the deciding set went into the tiebreak. Rublev, however, managed to cross the line with a 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (10-6) score after a grueling struggle of three hours and 43 minutes at the Melbourne Major.
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Tennis buffs on X (formerly Twitter) rejoiced at the fifth seed's victory given Seyboth Wild's controversial past. In September 2021, the Brazilian was accused of domestic abuse by his ex-girlfriend Thayane Lima.
"In his 5th match point, Rublev wins. Comes from behind in the tiebreaker. One less domestic abuse accused in the draw now, thank you very much," a fan wrote.
Another fan expressed a similar point of view while recounting Seyboth Wild's outrageous victory over Daniil Medvedev in the opening round of the 2023 French Open.
"Don’t remember seeing Andrey this gassed out tbh. I slept after the 3rd only to wake up in a FIFTH SET TB. Wild again peaks against a Russian, almost unexplainable. Seyboth is a decent player. Still very much a piece of shit, am glad he lost. Rublev needs to improve," the fan tweeted.
Here are a few more reactions from X:
Andrey Rublev remains unbeaten in 2024
Andrey Rublev's win on Sunday was his fifth straight since the turn of the year. Prior to starting his Australian Open campaign, he triumphed at the Hong Kong Open in the first week of 2024.
The Russian kickstarted the new season with a straight-sets victory over Great Britain's Liam Broady in Hong Kong on Thursday, January 4. He next downed France's Arthur Fils in the quarterfinals.
Against Fils, the World No. 5 started the match on a positive note by claiming the first set. But the Frenchman fought back and won the second set quickly. Rublev, however, kept his calm and clinched the third set to advance to the semifinals.
Andrey Rublev met Juncheng Shang in the final-four duel and staged a comeback victory to qualify for the final. He downed Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 6-4 in the final to lift the trophy.
