Andrey Rublev was defaulted in a semifinals match against Alexander Bublik during the Dubai Championship for yelling at a line judge. The default means that Bublik advances to the finals while Rublev was eliminated from the tournament.
The match between Rublev and Bublik was tied at one set apiece, deep into the third and final set. Rublev was upset that a Bublik shot was called in play, leading to Bublik taking a 6–5 lead in the third set, and Rublev went on to scream at the line judge on his side of the court.
An ATP supervisor spoke with Rublev after a Russian-speaking official accused Rublev of swearing in Russian, Rublev’s native language. While Rublev claimed he yelled in English and did not swear, and even though Bublik had no issues continuing the match, the umpire defaulted Rublev from the match.
