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On Friday, the Russian will contest his 10th quarterfinal of the season following three straights-set wins in earlier matches. Rublev apologised at the net for playing "unreal" tennis after he restricted Adrian Mannarino to only three games in their third round.
"To be honest, I'm playing really well since the US Open and I felt that in practices. It just takes time to transfer it to tournaments," Rublev said after a sturdy fourth-round win over Tommy Paul.
Another notable number for the 25-year-old Russian is that at No.5, he's the highest seed remaining in the Shanghai draw. Asked if that statistic provided him with confidence, Rublev could only laugh.
"No, not at all. I always prove that the better chances (I have), the worst I perform," Rublev smiled as he looked ahead to his quarterfinal meeting with Ugo Humbert.
"The next opponent is Humbert and just last week I lost to him. He's playing really well this week. He beat Stefanos (Tsitsipas).
"Then there's (Nicolas) Jarry and Grigor (Dimitrov) in my draw and I lost to Grigor many times. Jarry I never played, but he's playing unreal this season."
"They deserve to be where they are this week because they played really well."
Rublev is right to be wary of his quarterfinal opponent. The head-to-head record between Rublev and Humbert couldn't be closer, with two wins apiece in the two matches they've played.
Humbert, the No.32 seed, has struck some glorious form in China, winning three matches in Beijing and now three in Shanghai. After progressing through his first two Shanghai matches in three sets, the Frenchman held J.J. Wolf to only three games in the fourth round.
"Since Davis Cup I played great tennis, so I feel a lot of confidence," the 25-year-old said, noting he's feeling especially good in his Shanghai debut. "I love it. My first time here. I really like the facility, so I feel really comfortable right now."
Grigor Dimitrov and Nicolas Jarry, who meet in the first quarterfinal on Friday, have settled into an equally pleasing rhythm at Qi Zhong Stadium.
After straight-sets progressions over Aleksander Vukic and higher-ranked Karen Khachanov, Dimitrov claimed the biggest win of his season as he recovered from a first-set deficit to eliminate Carlos Alcaraz.
It was Dimitrov's first win over the No.1 seed in the four matches they've played. "This match tonight, yes, it was a wonderful match, I really take it, I cherish it, I appreciate it, but it's only going to get tougher," the No.18 seed said immediately following his win as he looked ahead to a third career meeting with Jarry.
The Chilean leads their head-to-head record 2-0, claiming his most recent win in the Geneva final. "He's a big hitter, big server so it's just as dangerous," Dimitrov said. "I've got to keep my eyes on the court, on the ball, whatever it is that I have to do again. I'm not going to change anything. I'm going to go through my routines, follow what I have to do."
The 22nd-seeded Jarry, who has progressed to a first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal with wins over Terence Atmane, Lorenzo Sonego and Diego Schwartzman, is equally determined to adhere to his proven winning formula.
"I'll just try to be able to play my game, to be able to continue playing aggressive, trying to control the nerves as much as possible," he said.
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