Bublik Frustrates Murray In Newport QFs

Alexander Bublik and Andy Murray have become familiar opponents this season on the ATP Tour. Their Friday meeting at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open was their fourth of the season, with Bublik securing a split of those matchups with a 7-5, 6-4 victory in Newport.

The Kazakh third seed earned a measure of grass-court revenge after Murray defeated him in straight sets in Stuttgart last month. The Briton went on to advance to the final in Germany, and now Bublik will hope to do the same in Rhode Island, where he reached the title match in 2019.

“It’s great to be in the semi-finals again. I never lost before,” he said with a smile, alluding to his 1-0 record at that stage in Newport. “I came here only for one week, so I have to [be engaged]. I’m engaged to play, I’m engaged to try to get as many matches as I can.”

Bublik was in command against the former World No. 1, pulling Murray around the court with strong serving and aggressive ground strokes as he won 80 per cent of his first-serve points. While his drop shot was not firing on all cylinders, Bublik did his damage with power rather than touch.

He claimed a late break in the opening set by firing a backhand winner to cap a marathon point. After an early break in the second, Bublik looked set to run away with the match before Murray instantly levelled, both breaks coming on untimely double faults.

Bublik then saved a break point to hold for 3-3 before securing a decisive break in the following game as he continued to pressure Murray off the ground. The Briton fought off two match points in the final game — including one on a lung-busting rally — but could not prevent Bublik from securing his place in the semi-finals.

Murray’s quarter-final run moved him up three places to No. 49 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He is now 19-11 on the 2022 season, including a 7-3 mark on grass.

Jason Kubler will meet Bublik in Saturday’s semi-finals after he won an all-Australian matchup against eighth seed James Duckworth 7-5, 7-6(3). Kubler continues his red-hot form after reaching the Wimbledon fourth round, achieving his best major result at age 29.

“It’s a good mental victory for me today,” Kubler said in his on-court interview. “I’ve been putting a lot of effort into my mental side. I’m happy that I was able to stay consistent throughout the match.”

After upsetting top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Thursday for his first career Top 10 win, finishing a match that began Wednesday evening, Kubler followed it up with another victory in his first tour-level quarter-final. He improved to 25-4 since the start of May, including qualifying, ATP Challenger Tour and tour-level matches.

Currently positioned at World No. 102, Kubler is up to No. 94 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and could enter the Top 70 with the Newport title. He owns a career-high ranking of World No. 91, achieved in 2018 after five knee surgeries from 2012-16.