Now Alexander Bublik has also been hit. The 2023 champion had an unblemished record of 6:0 wins in the main draw of the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN so far, but now he lost 6:7, 6:4 and 3:6 to Christopher Eubanks from the USA in the round of 16 of the 2024 edition. A little side note: Bublik already left the grass court in Halle as a loser in 2017 - in the qualifier against Maximilian Marterer.
The match against Eubanks was a game of missed opportunities for Bublik (ATP 17). In the first set, the 28-year-old American (ATP 44) led 4:2 with a break, but Bublik came back. And even had a set point when leading 5:4. Eubanks fought it off, meaning the tie-break had to decide the match. The outsider converted his second set point to make it 7:6. The defending champion was the more active player in the second set, but it was only on his seventh break point that he took the serve from Eubanks and led 5:4. He made it 6:4 with his first set point.
Set three was very even for a long time and Eubanks was the first to make his mark. His break to 5:3 was the preliminary decision. The man from Atlanta converted his match point to reach the quarter-finals of the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN for the first time. Bublik now has the doubles, where he and partner Arthur Fils are in the quarter-finals.
