Rublev Defaulted in Dubai for Shouting in Line Judge’s Face during Semi

 Tennis - ATP 500 - Dubai Tennis Championships - Dubai Duty Free Tennis Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - March 1, 2024 Russia's Andrey Rublev talks to the line judge during his semi final match against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik. (Reuters)
Tennis - ATP 500 - Dubai Tennis Championships - Dubai Duty Free Tennis Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - March 1, 2024 Russia's Andrey Rublev talks to the line judge during his semi final match against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik. (Reuters)
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Rublev Defaulted in Dubai for Shouting in Line Judge’s Face during Semi

 Tennis - ATP 500 - Dubai Tennis Championships - Dubai Duty Free Tennis Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - March 1, 2024 Russia's Andrey Rublev talks to the line judge during his semi final match against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik. (Reuters)
Tennis - ATP 500 - Dubai Tennis Championships - Dubai Duty Free Tennis Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - March 1, 2024 Russia's Andrey Rublev talks to the line judge during his semi final match against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik. (Reuters)

Andrey Rublev was defaulted from his semifinal at the Dubai Championships for yelling in the face of a line judge, allowing Alexander Bublik to advance to the final on Friday.

The second-seeded Rublev erupted after Bublik won a point to take a 6-5 lead in the deciding set.

The Russian, who is ranked No. 5, immediately pointed to the baseline, walked to the line judge, leaned over and shouted in his face.

ATP supervisor Roland Herfel came to the court accompanied by a Russian speaker, who said Rublev swore in his native language.

Rublev responded: “I was talking to him in English.” He insisted he did not use the profanity.

But umpire Miriam Bley defaulted Rublev for unsportsmanlike conduct, after which the seventh-seeded Bublik said “I'm OK to continue” with the match.

Bublik won 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-5.

Later, defending champion Daniil Medvedev faced Ugo Humbert in the other semifinal.

Rublev won the hard-court tournament in 2022 but lost to Medvedev in last year's final.

The big-serving Bublik is looking for the fifth singles title of his career. The Kazakh player won the Open Sud de France in Montpellier last month.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.