“The match against Jannik Sinner probably was more of exceptional tennis that I produced”: Alexander Bublik recalls Sinner win as Bellucci delivers Halle shock

Alexander Bublik’s defence of his Halle title ended in a first-round defeat to qualifier Mattia Bellucci, but the Kazakh’s pre-tournament reflections were framed heavily by his past encounters with Jannik Sinner, including a notable win in Halle during his 2025 title run.

That contrast between peak performance and early elimination defined the narrative around his exit in 2026.

Bublik, a two-time champion at the ATP 500 event, lost 7-6(6), 6-1 after failing to convert three set points in a first-set tie-break. Bellucci, who came through qualifying, recovered from a 3-6 deficit in the tie-break to take control of the match, before dominating the second set in under an hour and a half of play.

The defeat follows a strong grass-court reference point in Stuttgart, where Bublik reached the semi-finals, but interrupts his broader momentum on the surface ahead of Wimbledon. It also ends an attempt to build on his history in Halle, where he lifted the trophy in both 2023 and 2025.

Bublik’s most notable reference point when discussing his grass-court level remains his 2025 campaign, particularly his match against Jannik Sinner in Halle. That run formed part of his title-winning week, during which he produced some of his most effective tennis on the surface.

“The match against Jannik Sinner probably was more of exceptional tennis that I produced. So I’m not really relying on that so much because it’s on some kind of an exceptional occasion that I think I was playing an unbelievable tennis and I won this match.”

The contrast in the same season became more evident later at the US Open, where Sinner delivered a one-sided third-round victory over Bublik, winning 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. That match reinforced the variability in outcomes between surfaces and conditions when the pair met across 2025.

Earlier in his reflections, Bublik emphasised that his grass-court identity is built around precision, short exchanges and efficiency, which he sees as central to his best performances, including those during his successful Halle run.

“Grass is always easier to adjust because it’s the natural part of my game. It doesn’t require that much movement. It requires a lot of skills. It requires a lot of precision, because you’ve got to execute one or maximum two shots.”

He also underlined the tactical structure that supports his game on the surface, focusing on serve patterns and first-strike tennis as the foundation of his approach.

“And that’s what actually drives me a lot and it gives me a lot of joy to play because I can be focused on a great serve and plus one, plus two, and on the return the same way.”

Those reflections now sit in contrast with his early exit in Halle 2026, where missed opportunities in a first-set tie-break proved decisive against Bellucci, preventing him from extending his record of success at the tournament.