Alexander Bublik arrived on the Open 13 Provence chasing his maiden tour-level win of the 2023 season. The Kazakhstani dug deep to get the job achieved on Monday, when he rallied to a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 first-round victory in opposition to Filip Krajinovic in Marseille.
Bublik engineered the turnaround with a late break of Krajinovic’s serve within the second set and two early breaks within the third. Though the 25-year-old was then damaged as soon as himself as his lead within the decider was reduce to 3-2, Bublik held agency to clinch a two-hour, nine-minute triumph wherein he despatched down 18 aces.
With the win, Bublik prolonged his ATP Head2Head collection lead in opposition to Krajinovic to 2-0. The pair’s earlier conflict additionally got here on an indoor laborious court docket in southern France, with Bublik a straight-sets winner within the Montpellier semi-finals final 12 months en path to claiming his maiden ATP Tour title.
The World No. 50 will search to construct on Monday’s win in a second-round assembly with eighth seed Marc-Andrea Huesler or Gregoire Barrere. Bublik is competing on the ATP 250 in southern France for the second time, having reached the semi-finals on match debut in 2020.
Following Bublik onto court docket in Marseille had been Frenchmen Benjamin Bonzi and Luca Van Assche. The pair performed out two contrasting units in entrance of their house followers — the primary featured 5 breaks of serve and the second only one break, within the twelfth and remaining sport — however it was Bonzi who prevailed in each.
The 26-year-old’s 7-5, 7-5 victory booked him a second-round conflict in opposition to fifth seed Maxime Cressy or one other Frenchman, wild card Geoffrey Blancaneaux. The World No. 60 Bonzi is now 4-2 in Marseille, having reached the semi-finals there a 12 months in the past.
