Sinner's Halle defence over after loss to former winner Bublik

World number one Jannik Sinner's bid to win back-to-back Halle Open titles was ended on Thursday following a 3-6 6-3 6-4 defeat by Alexander Bublik in the last 16, the top seed's first defeat to a player outside the Top 20 since 2023.

Going into the contest Sinner held a 4-1 win-loss record against Kazakhstan's Bublik, including a recent victory at the French Open. However, in Halle, Bublik now holds a 2-0 advantage over his Italian rival having also beaten Sinner en route to winning the grasscourt event in 2023.

The Italian began brightly as he sailed into a 3-0 lead on his way to winning the first set but eventually came unstuck as Bublik hit 36 winners, including 15 aces.

"I don't know. I kept serving. I tried to get back whatever I can," world number 45 Bublik said when asked how he turned things around.

"He's an unbelievable player. I was not thinking I could beat him.

"If I would have a few chances and I executed them well and I kept serving, I had for certain a better chance than at Roland Garros," he added referring to his quarter-final defeat at the claycourt major.

Bublik saved three break points in the first game of the second set before gaining the crucial break to lead 4-2 and smashed three aces when holding serve to force the decider where a break to go 4-3 up proved decisive.

"It's a very fast surface. He gave me a chance. I had an amazing forehand to break him in the third set," Bublik said.

"I just kept serving and putting him in uncomfortable positions. It worked well."

Sinner's last loss to a player ranked outside the Top 20 came against Dusan Lajovic, then number 66 in the world, at Cincinnati in August 2023.

Bublik will meet Tomas Machac in the quarter-finals after the Czech seventh seed eased to a 6-2 6-3