Tsitsipas ends Kukushkin's career: Mannarino stuns Rublev
Mikhail Kukushkin played his farewell match in Almaty. Adrian Mannarino toppled the fourth seed in three sets.
Emotion and upsets in Almaty
Thursday, 22 October, delivered one of the most emotional moments of the 2026 tennis calendar at the Almaty Open. Seventh-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas booked his quarterfinal spot with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over 38-year-old Kazakh wildcard Mikhail Kukushkin. The result marked the final match of Kukushkin’s professional singles career, which spanned nearly twenty seasons on the ATP Tour. The Almaty Arena crowd gave Kukushkin a standing ovation as he addressed fans alongside tournament officials following the match.
The round of 16 also produced a major upset when French veteran Adrian Mannarino knocked out fourth-seeded Andrey Rublev 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Mannarino broke Rublev three times across the contest, using craft and precision to frustrate the world top ten player over one hour and 58 minutes. Australian James Duckworth also advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating second-seeded Luciano Darderi 7-5, 7-6(9), while Mattia Bellucci overcame sixth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-4.
Quarterfinals locked on indoor hard
With Tsitsipas, Mannarino, Duckworth, Bellucci, Nikoloz Basilashvili and Tomas Machac advancing, the final eight in Almaty is set for Friday. Fifth-seeded Karen Khachanov awaits his quarterfinal opponent following his clean opening-round sweep over Rei Sakamoto on Wednesday. In France, the Lyon ATP 250 tournament enters its quarterfinal stage following Corentin Moutet’s three-set victory over Ugo Humbert earlier in the week.
Sources
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