Quentin Halys revelled in "the best victory of my career" after coming from behind to stun third seed Andrey Rublev at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The Frenchman recovered from losing the opening set to prevail 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5) after two hours and 12 minutes, setting up a clash with Roberto Bautista Agut in the next round.

Rublev won this title in 2022 and was fresh from triumphing in Doha over the weekend.

The world number nine built on that momentum by taking the opening set, but was broken for the second time in the final game of the second as Halys drew level.

Rublev had a glorious opportunity to break for 6-5 at 40-0 up in game 11 of the decider. However, his opponent dug deep to rescue five break points, before holding his nerve in the tie-break. 

"I'm so happy, even though I’m not so smiley now," Halys said. "The match was so tough. At 5-5, I was 0-40 and almost broken. What a victory!

"I played really well today. At the beginning, I was a bit nervous, but at the end, I was pretty calm. The key was to serve well, be aggressive and make amazing shots.

"Every time you play a 500, you're playing an amazing guy. I lost many times, but today is the best victory of my career. I enjoy playing here, the conditions suit my game."

1 - Defeating Andrey Rublev in Dubai, @QuentinHalys has made his first top-10 win after having lost his first 10 career such meetings. Unlocked. #DDFTennis | @DDFTennis @atptour

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) February 25, 2025

Data Debrief: A day of firsts for Halys

It was undoubtedly the biggest victory of Halys' professional career, in a match where he dominated on serve with 18 aces to his opponent's five.

The Frenchman beat a top-10 opponent for the first time, while it was also his maiden win in an ATP 500 event.