Sensation at the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN: Jannik Sinner was eliminated in the round of 16 against Alexander Bublik. The world number one and defending champion ran out of steam against the outstanding 2023 Halle champion - in the end, Bublik triumphed 3:6, 6:3, 6:4.
The eagerly awaited clash between the last two tournament winners provided the spectators in the OWL Arena with great entertainment on Thursday evening. The two players had only met a fortnight ago in the quarter-finals of the French Open - the match ended in a clear three-set victory for the eventual finalist Sinner. As expected, the rematch on grass was a closer affair.
In the first set, Sinner continued where he had left off in Paris. The top favourite bagged the first break after just a few minutes and ran away with the lead. After just 27 minutes, Sinner took the set with a forehand winner - his tenth straight winning shot.
The Kazakh increased the risk considerably in the second set. Second serves with a lot of pace, more variation in his own game and powerful baseline shots at every opportunity. And because the world number 43 hit the ball really well, Sinner came under increasing pressure. In the middle of the set, the time had come: Bublik hit five winners in an outstanding return game - and with them the all-important break to make it 4:2. The 1.96 metre man left nothing to chance on his own serve and actually forced the deciding set.
The level and tension remained equally high in the third round. The crowd cheered on huge numbers of spectacular rallies and brute winning shots. Both players had to fend off several break chances with their own service, but were able to master their tasks with flying colours.
Even before the match, Sinner had expressed his deep respect for his opponent's skills on grass. Now it became clear why. At 3:3, Bublik earned another break chance - and was actually able to convert it with an outstanding forehand passing shot. Almost even more impressive: Bublik showed no nerves in the final phase. Bublik humourlessly completed the biggest win of his career with two service games.
For Sinner, the dream of defending his title in Halle came to an end. For the first time in more than a year and a half, the Italian had to pull out before the quarter-finals of a tournament. In addition, a 66-match winning streak against players outside the top 20 of the world rankings came to an end.
Bublik's opponent in the quarter-finals on Friday is Tomas Machac from the Czech Republic. The world number 23, who is seeded seventh, gave Hungary's Fabian Marozsan no chance with a 6:2 and 6:3 win. Machac, who is competing in Halle for the second time (first-round exit in 2024), won the ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco this year.
Bublik leads 1-0 in the direct comparison of the quarter-final rivals. In Dubai 2024, the Kazakh won on hard court in a third-set tie-break.
