Bublik Blasts Past Krajinovic, Storms Into Montpellier Final
Alexander Bublik will get another shot at winning his maiden tour-level title at the Open Sud de France after he downed Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the final in Montpellier.
The sixth seed upset World No. 19 Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarter-finals and backed up this win against Krajinvoic with a strong serving display to advance after 64 minutes. Bublik fired 13 aces and won 94 per cent (29/31) of his first-serve points in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.
[FOLLOW ACTION]Bublik, who was competing in his eighth ATP Tour semi-final, will face either top seed Alexander Zverev or Swede Mikael Ymer in his fifth tour-level championship match on Sunday. In a standout 2021 season, the 24-year-old earned a personal-best 35 wins, advancing to finals in Antalya and Singapore.
The World No. 35 is making his second appearance in Montpellier and will rise to a career-high on Monday following his run to the final at the ATP 250 event. Bublik is now 5-2 on the season.
Krajinovic was competing in his second semi-final in Montpellier, having advanced to the last four in 2020. The fifth-seeded Serbian was also seeking his first tour-level trophy this week.