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Andrey Rublev enters his last-eight Australian Open showdown with Italian world No.4 Jannik Sinner with an unflattering 0-9 grand slam quarter-final record.
With no time to celebrate, Andrey Rublev must quickly find a solution or face the dreaded prospect of suffering 10 straight grand slam quarter-final defeats on Tuesday.
Rublev's fighting five-set triumph over Alex de Minaur vaulted the world No.5 into a last-eight Australian Open showdown with fourth seed Jannik Sinner.
It is the third time in four years the Russian has made the Open quarter-finals and his 10th trip to the third-last round at a major.
But the 26-year-old has never broken through to reach a slam semi-final, leaving him frustrated at being unable to take the next step.
Twice he's run into 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and on three occasions he's struck countryman and dual Melbourne Park runner-up Daniil Medvedev.
Rublev has also been stopped by 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal in quarter-finals and the fifth seed knows it will hardly be any easier playing Sinner.
The Italian ended 2023 as the form player in the world, taking down Djokovic in the space of six days at both the ATP Finals and in Davis Cup.
Sinner is also the only man through to the last eight in Melbourne yet to drop a set. He also beat Rublev in both their meetings last year without conceding a set.
"He's playing amazing," Rublev said.
"Now I will try to do everything in my best and we'll see what's going to happen."
Coached by Australian Darren Cahill, Sinner planned on watching Rublev'c clash with de Minaur back in his hotel room.
The 22-year-old likely fell asleep as the two combatants went blow for blow until almost midnight on Sunday.
"I started to tell to myself, 'you're going to die today but you will do everything (in the fourth set)," Rublev said after his 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-0 comeback win.
"And somehow I started to play better and better and I found more energy and I was able to win.
"He's so fast and the way he move with his legs, the speed was crazy. He was super-tough to play, four hours, and I'm just happy to be in a quarter-final."
4-JANNIK SINNER (ITA) leads 5-ANDREY RUBLEV (RUS) 4-2
2023 Vienna, hard, SF, Sinner 7-5 7-6 (7-5)
2023 Miami, hard, R16, Sinner 6-2 6-4
2022 Roland Garros, clay, R16, Rublev 1-6 6-4 2-0 retired
2022 Monte Carlo, clay, R16, Sinner 5-7 6-1 6-3
2021 Barcelona, clay, QF, Sinner 6-2 7-6 (8-6)
2020 Vienna, hard, R16, Rublev 2-1 hard retired
JANNIK SINNER
Age: 22
Ranking: 4
Plays: right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money: $US17,043,434
Career titles: 10
Grand slam titles: 0
Australian Open win-loss record: 12-4
Best Australian Open results: quarter-finalist 2022, 2024
ANDREY RUBLEV
Age: 26
Ranking: 5
Plays: right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money: $US21,659,040
Career titles: 15
Grand slam titles: 0
Australian Open win-loss record: 20-7
Best Australian Open results: quarter-finalist 2012, 2023, 2024
