WATCH: Heated moments at China Open as Alexander Bublik obliterates his racket in anger during 1R clash against Flavio Cobolli
Alexander Bublik has always attracted attention with his outward display of emotions on the tennis court. During his opening round clash at the 2024 China Open, the Kazakh star completely destroyed his racket after losing a game point.
Bublik was seeded eighth at the 2024 China Open and began his campaign against Flavio Cobolli on September 26. The Kazakh No. 1 kicked off the contest confidently, breaking Cobolli in the fifth game. The Italian restored parity three games later, but Bublik did well to immediately break back and take the one-set advantage.
Cobolli was much more confident in the second set and broke Bublik's serve early to race to a 3-0 lead. Disappointed with his shot-making, Bublik lost his cool and hammer-smashed his racket multiple times on the court. The crowd at the Diamond Court of Beijing's National Tennis Center was left stunned as pieces of the 27-year-old's obliterated racket flung all across the court.
Cobolli consolidated his lead in the second set with another break of the Bublik serve in the fifth game and forced a deciding set. Both players held their serves in the third set, and a tiebreaker was required to determine the winner. World No. 32 ranked Cobolli showed grit to get the better of Bublik and emerge victorious 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4).
Cobolli will now face Pavel Kotov of Russia in the second round of the 2024 China Open.
Alexander Bublik's struggles continue on ATP Tour, with just one win in last six tournaments
Alexander Bublik looked in good shape in the early stages of the 2024 ATP Tour. He reached the semifinals at the Adelaide International and won his fourth tour-level title at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier, defeating Borna Coric in the title contest. He then finished runners-up at the ATP 500 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Following his fourth-round finish at the Madrid Open, Bublik reached his career-high ranking of World No. 17. However, since then, the Kazakh has experienced a severe decline in form and ranking fall. A semifinal run at the ATP 250 Lyon Open has been the only notable result produced by Bublik.
After a third-round exit at Wimbledon, Bublik has only won one match in six tournaments and endured opening match losses at the Paris Olympics, Canadian Open, US Open, the Davis Cup, and most recently, China Open. His only win during this period came in the second round of the Chengdu Open.