ANDREY Rublev has collected his fifth 2020 title at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna Austria, downing Italian lucky loser Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets in one hour and 18 minutes, 6-4 6-4.

The Russian ultimately never looked like losing to the Italian after breaking Sonego’s serve, always staying one step ahead after the 2-2 start. Sonego’s clean approach was crucial but could not be maintained, making a couple of crucial forehand errors which handed Rublev the break and saw the Russian maintain control.

The win has now secured Rublev’s spot in the ATP Finals which will take place following the Paris Masters. It will be Rublev’s first ever time at the event as he remains at a career-high eighth in the world.

“I’m happy. I’m happy that I won the title here. I’m happy that I will compete in London for the first time. I’m really looking forward [to it],” Rublev said. “There are still so many things I need to improve and it’s going to be a good challenge for me to see what exactly I need to improve to be at that level, to be able to compete against the top eight players.”

It was Rublev’s constant pressure and consistency that kept him one step ahead of Sonego throughout the contest, winning a terrific 82 per cent of his overall service points compared to Sonego’s 62 per cent effectiveness. To Sonego’s credit, he was also fairly solid on serve with seven aces – one more than Rublev – but was just not quite as efficient.

Both players heavily relied on their respective service games, and while neither player were particularly dominant on the return, it was Rublev’s marginally better 38 per cent winning rate on return that saw him not only break Sonego’s serve but also clean up with less unforced errors and a much more influential serve.

Rublev’s fifth tour victory sees him lead the tally across the ATP Tour this season, and ties with Novak Djokovic for the most 2020 wins on the board with 39. This week at Vienna also coincided with the passing of Rublev’s grandmother, who the Russian said “was one of the main people in my life” and a big motivation during the final.

“This tournament is really special for me because my grandma was also Austrian, so I have Austrian blood,” Rublev said. “It’s a really special title for me.”

“I’m not expecting nothing. I just want to do my job as best as I can, to enjoy tennis, because this is what I really love,” Rublev said. “Of course these results give me confidence that I’m on the right [path], that I’m doing more or less the right things. Of course I can do better and I should do better, but it gives me confidence that me and my team and my friends are moving in the right direction. We’ll see what’s going to happen next. I’m really looking forward [to it].”