Andrey Rublev dug deep and took a difficult route to the semifinals of the Qatar Open, converting his eighth match point in a dramatic win over second seed Alex de Minaur in the ATP 500 event here on Thursday. The fifth seed Rublev came back after losing the second set for a dramatic 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(8) triumph over De Minaur of Australia, in which he let slip seven match points before crossing the line. 

Rublev, the 2020 Doha champion, squandered a 5-2 lead in the final set after De Minaur came up with some trademark scrambling to force a tie-break. Yet the 27-year-old regrouped in remarkable fashion, saving a match point himself, to seal his first win over a Top 10 player since August last year.