Alexander Bublik channeled his inner Marcos Baghdatis at the Open Sud de France on Wednesday evening.
Trailing Gregoire Barrere 6-0 in the final-set tiebreaker, Bublik destroyed three rackets–slamming all three multiple times on the court. It invoked memories of Marcos Baghdatis at the 2012 Australian Open, when the Cypriot broke four rackets during a loss to Stan Wawrinka.
Bublik promptly won the next three points following his outburst but ended up falling to Barrere 6-4, 6-7(12), 7-6(3).
It was mixed day of results for the French contingent, as Arthur Fils joined Barrere in the winners’ circle whereas Ugo Humbert was forced to retire against Marton Fucsovics due to a leg injury sustained in a nasty fall. Fils upset Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-4 to book a spot in the quarterfinals, building on his first-round defeat of Richard Gasquet.
“I was playing with no mistakes, a lot of winners, and sometimes a big serve,” the 18-year-old assessed. “I respect him [so much] and I’m really happy about it.”
Fils looks legit