Luciano Darderi was surely hoping for a better ending to the Nordea Open. The Italian had dropped just one set — to Paraguayan Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in the semifinal — on his way to the final against Russian Andrey Rublev. But sadly for him, he was completely outclassed. He lost 6-4, 6-3 in a match where he would have felt he handed Rublev opportunities to put the game away early. For instance, his error in the first set just completely pushed him over the edge.

Darderi essentially handed the first set to Rublev after miscuing a shot that went over the baseline. And instead of smashing his racket, as most frustrated players on the tour would do, he ripped off his shirt. Then, he went after another part of his attire.

The Italian No. 4 threw his cap to the ground and appeared to be livid with himself. Things wouldn’t get any better for Darderi as the second set commenced.

The second set saw Rublev secure an early break and race to a 3-0 lead. Darderi was unable to reduce the deficit as his opponent served out the set to wrap up the match in 77 minutes and clinch his second Nordea Open title in four years. The defeat brought an end to Darderi’s eight-match winning streak at the tournament, having won the title there last year.

Rublev has now claimed his 18th ATP title, his first in 17 months. Notably, the Russian’s previous title had come in Doha last year. He described the victory over Darderi as “special” and said he was satisfied with the performance he delivered in the final.

“I feel great. To be able to win here for a second time is a special feeling,” he said during the post-match interview. “I can’t say much because I just finished my match and I’m still feeling the adrenaline. I’m happy I was able to perform well this week and was able to win the title.”

This was Rublev’s second victory over Darderi on the tour, and he now has a 2-0 lead in the H2H record. The two had first met in Hamburg last year, and the match had gone down to the wire. Rublev had triumphed 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in what was a grueling encounter.

The triumph in the Nordea Open final meant a lot for Rublev as the result snapped his five-match losing streak against top-20 opponents. He is expected to rise two places on the rankings and reach No. 14 after winning the ATP 250 event.

It was turning out to be a near-perfect day for Rublev until the prize ceremony began. It was here that the 28-year-old was involved in an awkward moment that grabbed a lot of attention.

Andrey Rublev suffered a handshake snub after the Nordea Open final

As the winner of the Nordea Open, Rublev was awarded a watch from Sjöö Sandström, the Swedish company that serves as the tournament’s official timekeeper. It was presented to him on the podium by one of the company’s representatives.

After receiving the watch, Rublev extended his hand for a handshake with the representative. But the Russian was ignored as the official didn’t notice his gesture and promptly walked off the podium after handing him the watch. Rublev, understandably feeling awkward and looking to brush off the incident, broke into a smile.

Having entered the tournament as the top seed, he certainly lived up to expectations and will now be focused on maintaining his form with the hard-court swing right around the corner.

The Russian is likely to be in action in Portugal next. He has signed up for the Estoril Open, where he is scheduled to play his opening match on Wednesday, July 22. His opponent has yet to be decided.