ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Andrey Rublev joined Novak Djokovic as the only men to win four tour singles titles in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season as he beat Borna Coric 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Sunday in the final of the St. Petersburg Open.
Rublev came back from 5-2 down to win the first-set tiebreaker with a five-point streak. In the second set he broke Coric's serve at 2-2 before holding in his next three service games to complete the win. Rublev didn't face a single break point.
The win brings Rublev closer to securing a spot at the ATP Finals next month after he moved into the top 10 of the rankings for the first time Monday. The Russian player won the Qatar and Adelaide titles in January and added the Hamburg title last month.
Beating Coric brought Rublev his 34th win of the season, ranking him second only to Djokovic with 37, and ahead of third-placed Stefanos Tsitsipas with 27. Rublev moves to a 6-2 record in career tour finals. Coric is 2-5 in career finals and 0-3 since his last win in Halle in 2018.
The tournament in St. Petersburg was played with fans in the stands. Organizers earlier said up to 2,500 spectators could be allowed into the indoor arena for the finals.