Bublik blasts speciality shots in shocking Newport quarterfinal win
The 22-year-old Kazakh ousted Tennys Sandgren to advance to his first ATP semifinal.
World No. 85 Alexander Bublik shook off a shaky first set to rally past Tennys Sandgren, 0-6, 6-3, 6-0, in the Hall of Fame Open quarterfinal on Friday.
In the first set, the Kazakh had trouble executing his shots while Sandgren played the same high-quality tennis that saw him advance to Wimbledon round of 16 at Wimbledon, ousting two Top 25 players.
However, the American dropped his level of play as Bublik mounted his comeback. The 22-year-old started to relax, hitting an array of speciality shots such as underhand serves and tweeners, and grew more comfortable as the match went on.
In his first career ATP semifinal, Bublik will square off against Marcel Granollers. This will mark their first ATP Tour level meeting.
