US Open 2025: 'Super dizzy' Andrey Rublev avoids defeat in thriller after eating sushi, plots to break banana record

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It took Andrey Rublev almost three hours to dispatch wildcard Tristan Boyer in an enthralling second-round clash at the US Open. The Russian dispatched a mid-match meal far quicker, after feeling his blood sugar levels drop and experiencing dizziness at Flushing Meadows. Rublev has learnt from his fuelling mistakes, however, and joked he plans to break a banana-eating record next time.

'They brought me sushi in the fourth set' - Rublev on feeling 'super dizzy' during win over Boyer

Video credit: SNTV

Andrey Rublev's second-round win over wildcard Tristan Boyer at the US Open was thrown into serious jeopardy - luckily, a serving of sushi was on hand to save the day.

The Russian raced into a two-set lead in little over an hour, but was forced to remain on court for almost three hours in total after his blood sugar levels plummeted.

Admitting he felt "super dizzy" as the American wildcard clawed his way back into the contest by clinching the third set, Rublev needed an emergency delivery to eventually close out a 6-3 6-3 5-7 7-6(4) victory.

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Despite feeling completely "relaxed" one set away from victory, suddenly the 27-year-old felt like he was fighting to keep his US Open campaign alive.

"The first two sets were quite easy. It was nothing about the level of tennis, and then I relaxed completely. He started to play a bit better," said Rublev in his post-match press conference.

"When I wanted to raise my level, I couldn't because the sugar in my body went down and I started to feel super dizzy in one moment.

"I guess it's just [that] I didn't eat enough before the match and after one and a half hours, I started to feel super hungry.

"When I'm super hungry, if I try to keep focused or try to push myself, my sugar goes down and I start to feel dizzy.

"In the end, it almost cost me a comeback from Tristan [Boyer]."

And it was not just sushi that kept Rublev going, with plenty of specialist sports nutrition on hand to help the Russian ward off the hunger pangs.

Having reached the quarter-finals of the US Open on four occasions, Rublev joked he has a special plan to ensure another deep run at this year's tournament.

"They brought me sushi in the fourth set and I ate sushi. I ate many things. I ate almost all my protein bars, all my gels, but not much was helping," he said.

"I guess next time I'll eat, I don't know the record for how many bananas [eaten] in one day. Now I have a stomach like this, full of things," said Rublev, gesturing with his arms outstretched.

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Video credit: SNTV

Rublev will come up against Coleman Wong in the third round on Saturday, August 30, after the qualifier became the first man from Hong Kong to win a Grand Slam match in the Open Era.

The 21-year-old backed up his history-making performance against home favourite Aleksandar Kovacevic with a four-set win over Australian Adam Walton on Thursday.

"I’m swinging it. I’m feeling good," said Wong after his second-round victory. "This is my first main draw, first best of five, first everything. For me, for Hong Kong, for my team, everything is very new, so no pressure.

"This is something that I dreamed of, for every tennis player, to keep going in a Slam. It’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world, so, at the moment, I’m still digesting. I still need to calm down, but I’m really happy."

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