Rublev Suffers Meltdown, Crashes Out of French Open

Russian sixth seed Andrey Rublev's French Open campaign came to an abrupt end in the third round on Friday, as he suffered a surprising 7-6 (8/6), 6-2, 6-4 defeat to Italian qualifier Matteo Arnaldi.

Rublev, a 10-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist, was visibly frustrated throughout the match, repeatedly throwing his racquet to the ground and hitting himself in the knee with it in the third set.

"Completely disappointed with myself -- the way I behaved, the way I performed, and I don't remember behaving worse on a Slam ever," Rublev said. "I think it was first time I ever behaved that bad."

The 26-year-old Russian had a set point in the opening tie-break but failed to convert it. He was broken in the first game of the second set but broke back immediately. However, Arnaldi's confidence grew as Rublev's frustration mounted.

"I was able to break back, and it looks like I started to have a bit more chances," Rublev added. "Then out of nowhere, again, I collapse with myself, I get emotional, I lost my serve, and then I lose it completely and basically I almost tank the second set, and then it was too late, because then he started to play unbelievable."

Rublev never regained his composure, and Arnaldi closed out the match with a love service hold. It is the second straight year that Rublev has lost in the third round to an Italian on the same court, after blowing a two-set lead against Lorenzo Sonego 12 months ago.

"I was struggling, and then I had a really good result in Madrid," Rublev said. "Now I'm playing well again. I feel that I have a good game, I'm improving. The problem is the head, that today basically I kill myself, and that's it."

Arnaldi, ranked 35th in the world, will face either former runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas or China's Zhang Zhizhen in the last 16.

"It's incredible, I think I played the best tennis in my life," said Arnaldi. "I wasn't even expecting it."

"He (Rublev) didn't play his best tennis for sure, but I used my best tactics to put him under pressure."

Tags: #FrenchOpen, #AndreyRublev, #MatteoArnaldi, #Tennis, #Upset