Jannik Sinner stunned at Halle Open by Alexander Bublik; world No 1's first defeat since last August to anyone but Carlos Alcaraz

After his 1-6 5-7 0-6 defeat at the hands of world No 1 Jannik Sinner at Roland Garros earlier this month, Alexander Bublik posted a cheeky reply on Instagram: 'I almost got him guys'. On Thursday, Bublik did really get Sinner. The Italian star's bid to win back-to-back Halle Open following a 3-6 6-3 6-4 defeat by Alexander Bublik in the last 16. It brought an end to a remarkable ongoing stat for Sinner: this was his first defeat to a player outside the Top 20 since 2023. And it also Sinner's first defeat since last August against a player not named Carlos Alcaraz.
Kazakhstan's Bublik, who is currently ranked 45th in the world but been as high as No 17, ended Sinner's streak of wins since Cincinnati 2024, a period in which he had lost only to Alcaraz in Beijing, Rome and, in that incredible final at Roland Garros earlier this month.
'We are tennis players and we try to win every match we play but it is a special one,' Bublik was quoted as saying by ATP. 'I had never beaten a No. 1 in the world. It is an accomplishment. I kept serving. I tried to be clutch. I tried to get back whatever I [could]. He is an unbelievable player and I was not thinking that I could beat him. But I had a few chances and executed them well. I kept serving. I had better chances than at Roland Garros. I stayed there, tried to return as much and serve aces, so the ball doesn't come back and it worked really well.'
Going into the contest Sinner held a 4-1 win-loss record against Bublik, including that breadstick and bagel across three sets at the French Open. However, in Halle, Bublik now holds a 2-0 advantage over his Italian rival having also beaten Sinner en route to winning the grasscourt event in 2023.
The Italian began brightly as he sailed into a 3-0 lead on his way to winning the first set but eventually came unstuck as Bublik hit 36 winners, including 15 aces. Bublik saved three break points in the first game of the second set before gaining the crucial break to lead 4-2 and smashed three aces when holding serve to force the decider where a break to go 4-3 up proved decisive.
'It's a very fast surface. He gave me a chance. I had an amazing forehand to break him in the third set,' Bublik said.
Sinner's last loss to a player ranked outside the Top 20 came against Dusan Lajovic, then number 66 in the world, at Cincinnati in August 2023. Bublik will meet Tomas Machac in the quarter-finals after the Czech seventh seed eased to a 6-2 6-3 win over Hungary's Fabian Marozsan.
With Reuters inputs

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

First Post

an hour ago

• First Post

Aryna Sabalenka apologises for 'unprofessional' remarks at Coco Gauff: 'I absolutely regret what I said'

Aryna Sabalenka has revealed that she personally apologised to Coco Gauff after dismissing the American's French Open win with 'unprofessional' remarks. read more Arya Sabalenka has apologised to Coco Gauff for comments after French Open loss. Image: Reuters World number one Aryna Sabalenka said she has apologised to Coco Gauff after dismissing the American's maiden French Open triumph, adding that she regrets the comments she made about the 21-year-old after the final. Sabalenka had been poised for victory after claiming the opening set in a tiebreak, only to watch Gauff orchestrate a stunning 6-7(5) 6-2 6-4 comeback to claim her second Grand Slam title. Sabalenka regrets 'unprofessional' remarks at Gauff Sabalenka made 70 unforced errors in the final and later said at a press conference that Gauff won 'not because she played incredible, (but) because I made all of those mistakes' – comments she has since regretted making. 'It was just totally unprofessional of me, I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then,' Sabalenka told Eurosport. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We all make mistakes. I'm only human and I'm still learning in life. We all have those days when we lose control. 'The difference with me is that the world watches me do it, I get a lot more hate afterwards for what I did than other people.' Sabalenka said she had reached out to Gauff personally afterwards to apologise. 'I wanted to apologise and make sure that she knows that she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her. I never intended to attack her,' Sabalenka added. 'I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference. I'm not necessarily grateful for what I did. 'It took me a while to look at it again, to go into it with my eyes open and to understand. I realised a lot about myself.' Having lost two Grand Slam finals this year, Sabalenka will now turn her attention to the grasscourt swing, warming up for Wimbledon by playing at the Berlin Open this week.

First Post

an hour ago

• First Post

'He's not trying to bring me in': How Novak Djokovic helped Jannik Sinner improve his game with feedback

In a sensational revelation, Jannik Sinner's coach shared that a few tips from Novak Djokovic in 2022 helped drastically improve the Italian's game. read more Jannik Sinner's coach Darren Cahill has revealed how Novak Djokovic's feedback on the Italian's game helped him make the current world No.1 a much better player. Djokovic shared his frank feedback, which included Sinner lacking variation, height on the net and failing to attack serve, after he beat the three-time Grand Slam winner in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Wimbledon. On the podcast 'Served with Andy Roddick,' Sinner's coach Cahill revealed that he approached Djokovic after the Serbian defeated his player to understand where the youngster can improve. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Hits the ball great, but there's no variation. So you know, there's no shape on his shot. There's no height over the net. Doesn't come to the net. He's not trying to bring me in, I know that he returns well, but he's not attacking my serve on the return of serve,' Cahill said while explaining the feedback Djokovic gave. Djokovic's feedback helps Sinner improve his game 'Novak got used to his ball, got used to the shape, got used to the pace and then just locked in, like Novak does, and doesn't miss. And won the last three sets reasonably easily,' Cahill said while talking about the 2022 match. 'And I saw Novak, and he's always great with this, he's always been incredible when you tap him on the shoulder. And I said, 'Hey listen, I've just started with Jannik, don't tell me anything you don't want to tell me, but can I ask what you were feeling out there?' And he was incredible.' Cahill later shared the feedback with Sinner and they together started bringing in the required changes to his game. 'So he went through his whole game and broke it down. It wasn't like it was revelations to what we didn't know about Jannik and what we were trying to change in his game. 'But when you take that conversation and sit down with a young man like Jannik Sinner and say,' Hey, listen, I just spoke to Novak and this is what he thinks', that leaves a big impression on a young player. So for Jannik it's: 'Right, give it to me. Let's start doing these changes'.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Since the 2022 defeat, Sinner has gone on to win two Australian Open and one US Open titles.

India Today

2 hours ago

• India Today

Halle Open: Jannik Sinner's title defence over after shocking loss to Bublik

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner's title defence at the Halle Open came to an abrupt end on Thursday, as he suffered a shock 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Alexander Bublik in the round of 16. The Kazakhstani, ranked 45th in the world, produced one of the finest performances of his career to upset the top seed and book his place in the who was aiming to become the first player since Roger Federer to win consecutive titles in Halle, looked in control early on, breaking Bublik twice to race to a 3-0 lead and sealing the opening set with authority. But the match quickly shifted as Bublik responded with his trademark flair, firing 36 winners, including 15 aces, to disrupt the rhythm of the usually composed marked Sinner's first defeat to a player outside the Top 20 since his loss to Dusan Lajovic in Cincinnati last year. Ironically, Bublik had also beaten Sinner en route to winning the title in Halle in 2023, now making it two wins in as many appearances against the Italian at this grass-court event. "I don't know. I kept serving. I tried to get back whatever I can," Bublik said after the win. "He's an unbelievable player. I was not thinking I could beat him."advertisementBublik saved three break points early in the second set and broke at 4-2 before levelling the match. In the decider, a crucial break in the seventh game gave him a 4-3 lead, which he consolidated with three more aces to close out the contest in just under two 26-year-old will now face Czech seventh seed Tomas Machac, who cruised past Fabian Marozsan 6-2, in Halle, German second seed Alexander Zverev battled back from a set down to defeat Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), maintaining his perfect record against the Italian. Zverev, a two-time finalist in Halle still searching for his maiden grass-court crown, will next meet Flavio Cobolli, who edged past Denis Shapovalov in a tense three-setter, 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(5).Meanwhile, fourth seed Andrey Rublev became the latest high-profile casualty, losing to Argentina's Tomas Etcheverry 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(6) in a gripping three-hour contest. Etcheverry saved two match points in the final-set tiebreak to advance and will face Russia's Karen Khachanov, who overcame Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.