Bublik breaks Krajinovic for first-round triumph in Marseille | ATP Tour
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Alexander Bublik came to the Open 13 Provence to chase his first tour-level win of the 2023 season. Kazakhstan gave everything they could to get the job done on Monday as they clinched a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 first-round win over Filip Krajinovic in Marseille.
Bublik turned the tide with a late break from Krajinovic’s serve in the second set and two early breaks in the third. Though the 25-year-old was then broken once himself when his lead in the decider was cut to 3-2, Bublik held on to earn a two-hour and nine-minute triumph in which he sent 18 aces.
With the win, Bublik extended his ATP Head2Head series lead against Krajinovic to 2-0. The pair’s previous clash also took place on an indoor hard court in the south of France, with Bublik being a straight-set winner in the Montpellier semifinals last year en route to his first ATP Tour title.
The world No. 50 will look to build on Monday’s win in a second-round meeting with eighth seed Marc-Andrea Huesler or Gregoire Barrere. Bublik is making his second appearance at the ATP 250 in the south of France after reaching the semifinals in the tournament debut in 2020.
After Bublik, the French Benjamin Bonzi and Luca Van Assche entered Marseille. The pair played two opposing sets in front of their home fans – the first contained five breaks of serve and the second just a break in the 12th and final game – but it was Bonzi who prevailed in both.
The 26-year-old’s 7-5, 7-5 win earned him a second-round clash against fifth-seeded Maxime Cressy or another Frenchman, wild card Geoffrey Blancaneaux. World No. 60 Bonzi is now 4-2 in Marseille after reaching the semi-finals there a year ago.
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