ATP Tour

Dark horse Bublik upset by Munar in Wimbledon R1

Alexander Bublik became the latest seed to depart Wimbledon after the first round on Tuesday, when Jaume Munar snapped his five-match winning streak.

Fresh from capturing his second title at the ATP 500 in Halle, where he stunned World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, the 28th-seeded Bublik was pitted by some for a deep run at the All England Club. Yet Munar dug deep for a 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 victory to dash Bublik’s hopes.

Bublik failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, and came within two points of winning at 5/5 in the tie-break, but Munar rallied back with vengeance. After forcing a decider, the Spaniard claimed an early break and ran away with a dominant display to reach the second round at Wimbledon for a fourth consecutive year.

At Queen’s Club two weeks ago, Munar came mightily close to upsetting Carlos Alcaraz, but let slip a 4-2 lead in the final set. That impressive showing on the grass, coupled with his upset over Bublik, makes him a dangerous prospect in the top half of the draw.

British No. 1 Jack Draper will, however, see this as an opportunity for him to progress in front of his home fans. The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings fell to Bublik at Roland Garros last month and was seeded to meet the Kazakhstani in the third round at Wimbledon.

Munar next faces Fabian Marozsan in their second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting (1-0 Munar) after the Hungarian eased past qualifier James McCabe 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.