Rublev has secured a spot in the quarterfinals and looks to turn things around this year.

== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man

The game

In Hangzhou, China, Russian Andrey Rublev made a quiet debut in the Chinese city's ATP 250, facing 82nd-ranked Australian Rinky Hijikata.

The Context

The Hangzhou tournament is one that opens the ASI Attic phase of the men's circuit, stretch of the calendar played after the US Open. Rublev, however, arrives in Asia at a delicate time: it comes from weak results on synthetic floor during the summer, which made the consistent performance of this debut gain extra weight for the Russian a team that needs victories to regain confidence and hold position in the ranking.

For Hijikata, ranked 82nd in the world, a duel against a top-ranked player was always an uphill challenge, even with his opponent passing through oscillatory phase.

What comes next

In the quarterfinals, Rublev will have a chance to turn the good debut into a real campaign. For the Russian's accompanying crowd, the reading is straightforward: the first step on the hard floor ASI attic has been taken with authority, and the quarters will show whether the summer production slump was left behind or if Hangzhou still reserves a stumbling block.

The above result refers to the debut; new matches of Russian in ATP 250 Hangzhou will be accompanied by our editorial.