Corentin Moutet, who emerged victorious from a hard-fought match against Struff, took advantage of Rublev’s withdrawal to reach the semi-finals of the last ATP tournament of the season.
After a hard-fought three-set match (7-6, 5-7, 6-3) against Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, seeded no. 7 at the ATP 250 Metz, Frenchman Corentin Moutet was hoping to reach the quarters. But Djokovic’s withdrawal from the Turin Masters created a number of upheavals.
What does it have to do with us? Four players were vying for the last three places available in the year-end tournament, which brings together the eight best players of the season in Turin. While Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev, Medvedev and Fritz had already qualified, the final places were up for grabs between Djokovic, Ruud, de Minaur and Rublev, with the Serbian in the driving seat. That’s why the other three were committed to ATP tournaments, to get the last few points they needed. With the former world number one out of the running, they no longer need to play to qualify, and so have all withdrawn from their tournaments, with the exception of Ruud. But the Norwegian should logically follow the other two players to prepare for the Masters.
Rublev’s withdrawal on Tuesday benefits Corentin Moutet, who was due to face him in the quarter-finals. The hero of the last French Open will be playing his first ATP Indoor final in Metz, and has a fairly open draw.