Sixth seed Andrey Rublev knocked out of French Open

NEW DELHI: Matteo Arnaldi of Italy delivered an extraordinary performance, defeating the sixth seed Andrey Rublev to advance to the last 16 of the French Open in Paris on Friday.The 23-year-old showcased resilience by saving a set point in the opening set and then proceeded to dominate his emotionally charged opponent, securing a 7-6(8), 6-2, 6-4 victory and matching his best Grand Slam run.As the match progressed, Russian Rublev expressed his frustration, venting his emotions by thumping his racket into his legs and kicking his courtside bench, as his hopes for a deep Grand Slam run dissolved on the Parisian clay.In contrast, Arnaldi displayed remarkable composure, maintaining solid performance throughout the match and committing minimal errors, ultimately claiming one of the most significant victories of his career.Despite Rublev's previous ten Grand Slam quarter-final appearances, he was unable to surpass this milestone, unable to counter Arnaldi's precision and power.The defeat marks the highest-seeded exit thus far in the men's draw.Next, Arnaldi will face either Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas or China's Zhang Zhizhen for a chance to advance to the quarter-finals.(With Reuters inputs)