Merrick’s Rubin advances in the Australian Open

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If Noah Rubin was starstruck facing one of the top tennis players in the world Tuesday night, he didn’t show it with his performance.

Despite being eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open with a 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (3) setback to former top-ranked player Roger Federer late Tuesday night at Rod Laver Arena, the 20-year-old Merrick native showed that he could handle the spotlight.

The 35-year-old Federer is a four-time Australian Open champion who held the No. 1 ranking for a record 302 weeks before injuries and inconsistent play dropped him to 17th.

Rubin held his own in the first set of their match with 5 tiebreaks before Federer won the last two points.

Although the Swiss player came out strong in the second set, Rubin pushed Federer even harder in the third and took a 3-0 lead before Federer came back and sealed the match with a 7-6 score.

After the match, Rubin sent a tweet to Federer, saying it was an “honor to play with him.” His tweet went on to say, "Was in your shadow today, but it's going to be a hell of a fun career."

Federer will face former Wimbledon champion Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in the third round.

Rubin defeated fellow American Bjorn Fratangelo 6-7 (4), 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in his first match of the Australian Open before playing Federer. He became a recognizable face in tennis after winning the Wimbledon and U.S. Boys junior championships in 2014.

Rubin played at Wake Forest University for a year before joining the professional ranks in 2015. He is currently No. 200 in the world by the Association of Tennis Professionals, over 800 places higher than when he left school. His highest ranking was No. 166 in June of 2016.