Bublik stuns Sinner to end title defence at Halle Open
HALLE, Germany: World number one Jannik Sinner’s title defence at the Halle Open came to a surprising halt on Thursday as he fell to a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat at the hands of Alexander Bublik in the last 16. The loss marks Sinner’s first defeat to a player ranked outside the Top 20 since 2023.
Despite leading their head-to-head 4-1 coming into the match, including a win at this year’s French Open, Sinner was undone by Bublik’s aggressive grasscourt play. The Kazakh, ranked 45th, fired 36 winners and 15 aces to turn the match around after dropping the opening set.
Sinner had started strongly, racing to a 3-0 lead and clinching the first set with relative ease. But Bublik regrouped, saving three break points early in the second set before grabbing a key break to go up 4-2. He then held firm to level the match.
The decider hinged on a single break at 4-3, with Bublik holding his nerve and his serve to close out the upset. “He’s an unbelievable player. I was not thinking I could beat him,” Bublik said. “I tried to execute my chances, and today it worked.”(Reuters)
