A pumped-up Alexander Bublik provided the entertainment Friday at the Open Sud de France, upsetting World No. 19 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4) to advance into the semi-finals in Montpellier.
The sixth seed showcased an abundance of flair throughout his two-hour, four-minute win against the 2021 finalist as he combined big serving with precise drop shots to improve to 2-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.
“It is always tough to play against Roberto,” Bublik said in his on-court interview. “He is a great competitor, so I knew I had to stay focused and serve well. Thank you to the crowd for being here and helping me once again. I think I played a great match.”
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Bublik fired 26 aces against Bautista Agut as he continued his pursuit of his maiden tour-level title in Montpellier. The World No. 35, who earned a personal-best 35 wins in 2021, is just one place below his career-high ATP Ranking. The 24-year-old will next play Serbian Filip Krajinovic in his eighth tour-level semi-final.
Krajinovic booked his spot in the last four in Montpellier for a second time, defeating Bosnian qualifier Damir Dzumhur 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 39 minutes.
“I knew he is a very talented player,” Krajinovic said in his on-court interview. “We have known each other for a long time. We were both tight in the first set, but I somehow managed to find a way to win the set. In the second set, I stayed with my game and I am happy to be in the semi-finals again.”
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The fifth seed, who enjoyed a run to the semi-finals at the ATP 250 event in 2020, rallied from a break down in the first set against Dzumhur before he established control in the second set with his aggressive ball striking to triumph in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.
The 29-year-old is aiming to capture his first tour-level title in Montpellier, having advanced to four finals at this level.