WATCH: Alexander Bublik loses his cool at US Open, smashes racquet in frustration in Dominic Thiem loss
Alexander Bublik was eliminated in the first round of the 2023 US Open but not before producing a moment of drama during his short stay at the tournament.
The 25th-seeded Kazakh faced Dominic Thiem in his opener, and the Austrian produced a fine display to win 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 and book his place in the second round of the New York Major.
Bublik had a performance to forget as he served 17 double faults while producing 44 unforced errors. It was one of those rare occasions when the Kazakh served fewer aces than his opponent (six compared to Thiem's eight).
The 26-year-old also had an outburst after the match's second set, which ended 6-2 in the Austrian's favor. Bublik hit a ball into the net to lose the set, following which he lost his cool and smashed his racquet in frustration.
With the win, Dominic Thiem now leads 2-0 in the head-to-head against Alexander Bublik, having previously beaten him 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 in the second round of the 2019 French Open. This was his first win at a Grand Slam match since beating Nick Kyrgios in the third round of the 2021 Australian Open.
The Austrian, who won the US Open in 2020, will next take on Ben Shelton in the second round. The two previously locked horns in the second round of this season's Estoril Open, with Thiem winning 6-2, 6-2.
Alexander Bublik has won only 16 matches so far in 2023
Alexander Bublik has endured a disappointing 2023 season so far, with only 16 wins out of 39 matches. The Kazakh did produce some fine performances during the grass-court swing, most notably at the Halle Open.
Bublik beat Borna Coric, Jan-Lennard Struff, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev before triumphing over Andrey Rublev in the final of the ATP 500 tournament. This run saw him make a return to the top 30 of the rankings.
He then reached the fourth round of Wimbledon with wins over Mackenzie McDonald, JJ Wolf and Maximilian Marterer before losing a thrilling match against Rublev.
Bublik has had a disappointing US Open Series as he lost his opening match in all of the tournaments he competed in. He previously lost to Gael Monfils at the Citi Open before being beaten by Hubert Hurkacz at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
After his singles elimination at the US Open, Alexander Bublik will compete in the men's doubles event, where he is partnered with Alexander Shevchenko. The pair will take on Laslo Djere and Marc-Andrea Huesler in the opening roound.