Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) fascinates the audience in Halle. After demolishing the world number one Jannik Sinner (Italy) yesterday, he beat the Czech Tomas Machac 7:6(2), 6:3 in the quarter-finals.
Between the first and the last rally, everything was there again this time. Sensational stops, shots with an unbelievable angle that drive the opponent out of the entire court, and then mistakes that make you shake your head. Balls fly more than a metre out of bounds or hit the net just above the turf. In addition, there are always long discussions with his coaching team. Nevertheless, Alexander Bublik feels particularly at home at the tournament in Halle on grass, as he also won the title here in 2023. And as the number of good strokes is significantly higher than the number of bad strokes, the Kazakh is fully justified in reaching the final round.
Alexander Bublik's style of play always draws attention to himself, with his opponents usually playing a supporting role. This was also the case this time. Tomas Machac played solidly, fought and at least made it into the tie-break in the first set, although he was already looking at losing the set at 3:5. While Alexander Bublik somewhat ‘spoilt’ the early set win, the Kazakh then returned to top form in the tie-break and made short work of it: 7:2.
In the second round, you no longer had the feeling that Alexander Bublik would lose this match. Of course, he could have beaten himself. But he didn't and easily secured the 7:6(2), 6:3 victory with two breaks. "I served well, returned well. I'm happy that I was able to save a bit of energy," summarised the 2023 title winner from Halle, who suddenly seems fully focussed on the next match.
