HALLE, Germany — In a stunning upset, world number one Jannik Sinner fell to Alexander Bublik with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 during the second round of the Halle grass-court tournament on Thursday.
As the reigning champion of Halle, Sinner was competing for the first time since his heart-wrenching five-set loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Roland-Garros final.
Having dispatched Yannick Hanfmann in the opening round, Sinner faced a formidable challenge as Bublik sought redemption after their quarterfinal meeting at the French Open, where Sinner emerged victorious.
“This win is special for me — it’s my first victory over the world’s top player, and that’s an achievement,” Bublik, currently ranked 45th, shared in his post-match interview.
The Kazakh player put on a spectacular performance, hitting 36 winners and serving 15 aces against Sinner in this Wimbledon warmup event.
“I just focused on my serve and aimed to put him in tough situations, which worked out well,” noted Bublik, the 2023 Halle champion, as he looks ahead to a quarterfinal clash with Tomas Machac.
In another thrilling match on Thursday, second seed Alexander Zverev triumphed over Lorenzo Sonego with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) to secure his spot in the quarterfinals.
