Jannik Sinner’s Halle defence over after loss to former winner Alexander Bublik

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner failed to retain his Halle Open title after losing to Alexander Bublik. PHOTO: REUTERS

UPDATED Jun 20, 2025, 01:57 PM

Thanks for sharing!

HALLE WESTFALEN – World No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s bid to win back-to-back Halle Open titles ended on June 19 following a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat by Alexander Bublik in the last 16, the top seed’s first loss to a player outside the top 20 since 2023.

Going into the contest, the Italian held a 4-1 win-loss record against Kazakhstan's Bublik, including a recent victory at the French Open. However, in Halle, Bublik now holds a 2-0 advantage over Sinner having also beaten him en route to winning the grasscourt event in 2023.

Sinner 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.

“I don’t know. I kept serving. I tried to get back whatever I can,” world No. 45 Bublik said when asked how he turned things around.

“He’s an unbelievable player. I was not thinking I could beat him.

“I executed them (my chances) well and I kept serving, I had for certain a better chance than at Roland Garros,” he added, referring to his quarter-final defeat at the claycourt Grand Slam.

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,” he said. “I just kept serving and putting him in uncomfortable positions. It worked well.”

Sinner’s last loss to a player ranked outside the top 20 came against Dusan Lajovic, then No. 66 in the world, at Cincinnati in August 2023.

Meanwhile in women’s tennis, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin just 12 days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open.

Recipient of a first-round bye, the American lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu.

Gauff, a winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals in 2024, has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament.

“I’m playing the French Open champion and I won the first set,” Wang said afterwards.

“No matter how the second and third go, I was like, ‘Let’s enjoy it for once second’. It was a tough match, but I’m happy I hung in there on the tough moments.”

Wang had lost her only previous match against Gauff in straight sets on the Berlin grass in 2022. REUTERS, AFP

More on this Topic

Join  ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Thanks for sharing!