12:10 p.m
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 6: 3, 0: 2
Zverev gets the break for free! Bublik is suddenly very insecure and makes unnecessary mistakes. He makes the most unnecessary breakball against himself with a double fault. Alexander Zverev will not care at all. The hamburger has to take this momentum with him.
12:06
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 6: 3, 0: 1
Of course, this body language doesn’t help at all with his second breakball. Bublik gets the point with a strong passing ball and makes a debut.
12:06
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 6: 3, 0: 1
And Zverev could take the momentum from his service game! Good chance for the break here. However, Zverev carelessly awarded the first breakball with a forehand error. “Unbelievable,” he yells loudly, bowing his head.
12:02
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 6: 3, 0: 1
Alexander Zverev opens this second set and does so with a sense of achievement! The Hamburger not only holds his serve, he shows a significantly improved rate. A tailor-made start in this second section for Zverev!
11:56
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 6:3
The answer is “no”! Alexander Bublik serves strong and boldly goes straight into Zverev’s return. The Kazakh secures the decisive point and with it set number one.
11:55
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 5:3
But one must not write off Alexander Zverev in this first sentence! He fights his way up to at least 30:30, but after a strong volley from his opponent he now has set point against him. Can he fend it off and turn the momentum around again?
11:52
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 5:3
That should do Zverev good, regardless of the outcome of the first sentence! The German delivers his service very safely and now beats his first ace. He shortens it to 3:5, but now urgently needs the break.
11:47
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 5:2
Things are very different with Alexander Bublik. He doesn’t serve perfectly either (56% of first serves in the field), but when the first comes, there’s often a service winner or ace. With ace number four he now gets the 5:2 and marches in the direction of winning the set.
11:44
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 4:2
And because Zverev is now also showing uncertainties from the game, he “gives” the next break. A very difficult phase for Zverev at the moment!
11:43
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 3:2
Alexander Zverev’s serve remains the big problem. The German really doesn’t manage to stabilize there at all. Not only does he now have two more break points against him, he also gets an overtime warning for taking too long to serve.
11:37
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 3:2
Well then, yes! Alexander Zverev clenches his fist and he has every reason to do so. With a good backhand return, the Hamburg player positions himself and then takes the serve from Alexander Bublik. So everything is back in order!
11:35
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 3:1
However, Bublik doesn’t make it that easy for him anymore. With two service winners and another ace, he can quickly make his debut. The break possibility for Zverev is gone again for the time being.
11:34
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 3:1
But Zverev doesn’t let himself be unsettled at all and immediately fights for three chances to get the re-break.
11:33
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 3:1
And there it happened! Zverev has to go over the second serve again, which falls far short and gives Bublik the chance to put pressure on directly. Zverev then puts the approaching return directly out and now has to run after the break.
11:31
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 2:1
Alexander Zverev must get his serve rate under control. Because he only gets half of his first serves into the field in the early phase of the game, he again has more trouble than he had hoped and now even has the breakball against himself.
11:27
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 2:1
With another ace, Bublik makes short work of his second service game. In any case, this service ran pretty smoothly for the Kazakhs.
11:24
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 1:1
Zverev, who previously had to go over the second serve several times, serves very well at the back and secures the crucial points to make it 1-1.
11:23
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 1:0
Zverev actually has his opponent where he wants him with a cracking forehand. But Bublik countered from far outside with a wonderful short cross and got himself back into this rally, which ended in a point for Bublik and an interim result of 30:30.
11:20
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 1:0
However, the Kazakh can free himself primarily through very strong services. Among other things, he serves his first ace, but also builds up a lot of pressure on the first serve.
11:19
A. Bublik – A. Zverev 0:0
The game goes straight into the game with a serve from Alexander Bublik. The Kazakh gets two good returns from Zverev and is under direct pressure at 0:30.
11:13
It’s about to start!
With a little delay, the two players are now on the court. After a short impact phase, the duel between the two namesakes will finally start.
10:52
Unsuccessful on a larger stage
Opponent Alexander Bublik is not at the height of his creativity either. Just over a year ago, the Kazakh was more than 20 places ahead in the world rankings (currently 53rd). This year Bublik could only deliver at small tournaments. In 2023, he has only had one win in 500s or larger tournaments.
10:35
Zverev continues to search for form
After his serious ankle injury, Alexander Zverev wanted to really get going again this year. So far, however, only a limited amount has come of this project. The German number one continues to search for form. A few good performances in Dubai and Indian Wells were encouraging, but the clear defeat in Miami against Taro Daniel (number 97 in the world) was a step backwards. Today the form curve should point upwards again and a victory should be achieved.
10:14
Welcome!
Good morning and hello to the ATP tournament in Monte Carlo! The next and final first-round games of the prestigious tournament are on the program for Tuesday. Among other things, Alexander Zverev is now also involved, who will have to deal with Alexander Bublik around 11 a.m.
