To kick off the second day of main-draw action at the 33rd TERRA WORTMANN OPEN, qualifier Mattia Bellucci pulled off a massive upset. The world No. 74 defeated last year’s champion Alexander Bublik (ATP No. 11) 7-6(6), 6-1.
On paper, the roles were clearly defined, but in practice, an extremely close first set unfolded between the two players on Tuesday morning. Bellucci, a quarterfinalist in Stuttgart last week, struck first with a break to make it 4-3. However, while attempting to close out the set, the Italian committed several unforced errors, allowing Bublik to level the score at 5-5.
Shortly thereafter came a tiebreak that repeatedly had the spectators in the already well-filled heristo-arena on the edge of their seats. Bublik initially took a 4-1 lead and looked like the sure winner of the set, but then Bellucci really turned it on. First, he hit a magical volley that bounced back over the net onto Bublik’s side after touching the ground. Then Bellucci fended off three set points, including with a spectacular passing shot on a running stop. When he then took a 7-6 lead himself, he hit another outstanding forehand passing shot down the line. The crowd greeted the set win with thunderous applause.
The effects of the wild tiebreak were still evident at the start of the second set. The Kazakh player lost his service game to love, falling behind 0-2. From there, Bellucci had no trouble securing his third victory in Halle (following two wins in qualifying). After 1 hour and 14 minutes, the 25-year-old converted his first match point.
