Adrian Mannarino of France pulled off one of the week's standout upsets at the Almaty Open on 21 October 2026, defeating fourth seed Andrey Rublev of Russia to reach the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 event in Kazakhstan. The win extended Mannarino's tournament-record tally to 13 victories at Almaty and marked his fourth appearance in the last eight at this event.

Mannarino's Record Run

The 38-year-old Frenchman has built a remarkable affinity with the indoor hard-court surface in Almaty, highlighted by his title run in 2023 and a final appearance in 2020, when the tournament was staged in Astana. Wednesday's performance was characterised by clean timing and astute court movement, as Mannarino kept the 29-year-old Rublev constantly on the run before sealing the match on his third match point.

'I know Andrey really well; we have played many times,' said Mannarino, who moved to 2-4 in their head-to-head record. 'I know if I were to play at my normal level, I would lose this match. He is a better player than me, so if I wanted to win, I had to play a little bit better than usual, and I think I played a good match today. I am happy to get through.'

The result represents Mannarino's 66th tour-level quarterfinal and his fourth in 2026. His indoor form this season has been consistently strong, with a runner-up finish in Montpellier among his best showings. He will next face Nikoloz Basilashvili, who advanced by defeating Facundo Diaz Acosta 6-2, 6-4.

Rublev's Losing Skid Continues

For Rublev, the defeat extended a difficult run. Despite reaching the title match in Hangzhou last month, the Russian has now lost his past three matches, according to available ATP win/loss data. The slump raises questions about his form heading into the latter stretch of the indoor season.

Tsitsipas Bids Farewell to Kukushkin

Seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece advanced with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win over Mikhail Kukushkin, but the match carried a far greater emotional weight than the scoreline suggests. The 38-year-old Kukushkin was competing in his final tour-level event after turning professional in 2006 — a career spanning two decades on the circuit.

Kukushkin's legacy includes a tour-level title at St. Petersburg in 2010 and four Top-10 victories, most notably a win over then-World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka in Basel in 2014. His retirement closes a chapter for a player who represented Kazakhstan with distinction across the ATP calendar.

Duckworth Stuns Darderi; Other Results

Australian James Duckworth earned his first Top-30 win of the year, defeating second seed and World No. 23 Luciano Darderi 7-5, 7-6(7) to book a quarterfinal berth. Duckworth, a semi-finalist earlier this season in Winston-Salem, saved one set point in the second-set tie-break before closing out the match. He will face Tsitsipas in the last eight.

Elsewhere, Tomas Machac eased past 18-year-old Kazakhstani wild card Zangar Nurlanuly 6-2, 6-0, while Mattia Bellucci edged Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4 in a contest lasting two hours and 32 minutes to advance to the second round.

With Mannarino's relentless efficiency and Kukushkin's emotional send-off both shaping the narrative, the 2026 Almaty Open is shaping up as one of the more memorable editions of the event.