Sinner shockingly lost to a player 44 places lower in ranking

(Dan Tri) - Defending champion Jannik Sinner lost to ATP No. 45 Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals of the Terra Wortmann Open (Halle, Germany) on the morning of June 20. This was the second time Sinner lost to Bublik in Halle.

Alexander Bublik pulled off the biggest upset of his career by defeating world number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle. The dramatic 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win put Bublik into the quarter-finals and marked a career milestone.

"We are players and we always try to win every match, but this is a special match," Bublik said after the victory. "I have never beaten a world number one. It is a great achievement."

Sinner was a bit disappointed to stop early at the Terra Wortmann Open (Photo: Getty).

It was sweet revenge for Bublik after losing to the Italian in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros earlier this month. At the ATP 500 event on grass, the Kazakh was in blistering form, firing 36 winners, including 15 aces, to defeat the top seed in 2 hours and 4 minutes. The victory was also the fourth time Bublik has beaten a player in the world's Top 10.

"I kept serving and tried to stay in control. I tried to get back whatever I could. He's an incredible player so I didn't think I could beat him. But I had a few chances and took them well. I kept serving, which really worked," said Bublik, who was the first man to beat Sinner apart from Carlos Alcaraz since last August.

The defeat ended Sinner's 66-match winning streak against players outside the ATP Top 20, which stretches back to August 2023. It was also the first time Sinner had failed to reach the final since Montreal last August, showing Bublik's strong desire to make things difficult for the Italian in the sixth meeting between the two (Sinner leads 4-2).

The Italian, who won his first grass-court title in Halle last season, arrived in Germany after a five-set defeat in 5 hours and 29 minutes to Alcaraz at Roland Garros. Sinner will now head to Wimbledon, where he reached the semi-finals, in 2023.

Sinner started confidently and completely controlled the first set against Bublik without facing any break-points. However, the situation started to change at the beginning of the second set when Bublik brilliantly saved three important break-points in his opening service game.

After holding the game, the world No. 45 took the decisive advantage in the sixth game when Sinner hit a forehand wide after Bublik's accurate backhand return.

Bublik plays Sinner in the quarter-finals of the Terra Wortmann Open (Photo: Getty).

Bublik hit 20 winners in the second set, surprising Sinner and leveling the score. He continued his momentum in the deciding set. The 28-year-old once again broke Sinner with a powerful forehand and finished the match at the first opportunity with a powerful smash.

"I had a great forehand to break in the third set and then I kept serving. On grass, if you lose serve, it's probably going to be tough and I'm someone who doesn't lose a lot of serve. I kept serving, put him in tough positions and it worked," Bublik added.

Halle holds fond memories for Bublik, who won his biggest title at the tournament in 2023, interestingly beating Sinner en route to the title. Bublik has also won in Montpellier (2022, 2024) and Antwerp (2023). In pursuit of his fifth ATP title, the 28-year-old Kazakhstani will face Tomas Machac in the quarter-finals, after the Czech seventh seed defeated Fabian Marozsan 6-2, 6-3.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/sinner-thua-soc-truoc-tay-vot-kem-44-bac-xep-hang-20250620113129172.htm