\n<\/p>\n
Within just a handful of games, 26-year-old Rublev’s frustrations had already started to boil over, the first signs of his brewing anger showing as Dimitrov broke for a 3-1 lead.<\/p>\n
In the following game, the sixth seed slammed his racquet against his shoes and drew blood from his own hand after an error before his opponent consolidated his break.<\/p>\n
Rublev called the trainer on to see to the bleeding cut on his left hand at the change of ends and, still troubled by his self-inflicted injury, failed to convert three break points in the next game.<\/p>\n
And as Dimitrov served out the opening set, the Russian screamed at the ground, the crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium stunned into silence by his latest outburst.<\/p>\n
The second set looked to have brought a calmer Rublev. In the opening game, he had his back against the wall at three break points down but stayed focused as he fought back to hold.<\/p>\n
But after missing two break points of his own in the fourth game, he missed what should have been a sitter of a volley for the advantage and started furiously ranting, the sound amplified under the closed stadium roof.<\/p>\n
Despite his irritation, Rublev was playing well and finally got the break he had been seeking for 5-3 as an error-strewn Dimitrov buckled under relentless pressure with multiple double faults.<\/p>\n
But Rublev was left laughing in disbelief at his own mistakes as he let slip a 30-0 lead when serving for the set and allowed his opponent the immediate break back.<\/p>\n
More errors then creeped in in the tie-break, the Russian squandering a 3-1 lead as six successive points went Dimitrov’s way to wrap up the set for the Bulgarian.<\/p>\n
It was at that point that Rublev’s mentality seemed to switch, and in the third set, Dimitrov started to wilt and found himself a double break down as his much calmer opponent mounted his comeback attempt.<\/p>\n
And though Dimitrov put up more of a resistance in the fourth set, it quickly went the same way as Rublev forced a decider, just as he had against France’s Arthur Rinderknech in the second round.<\/p>\n
The tables turned in the fifth set, however, as Dimitrov found another level and the unforced error count started to rise for Rublev.<\/p>\n
He sealed the deal by serving out the match to love, a Rublev backhand finding the net to give Dimitrov an eighth Grand Slam quarter-final berth. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n