Bublik under pressure & a real test for Munar

A tricky match where the styles could balance each other out

Alexander Bublik is going through a particularly complicated start to the tournament. He almost got out of his first match against Hubert Hurkacz by a miracle, at the end of a scrappy encounter where he often flirted with elimination. After that, the storyline didn’t really change against Jan-Lennard Struff: another very tight match, against an extremely aggressive opponent who constantly pushed him to his limits. Bublik is still alive, but without really giving the impression that he’s in control in this tournament.

On the other side of the net, Jaume Munar is confirming his progress on fast courts, an area that was long considered his weakness. His run this week is clearly going in the right direction, but it also needs to be put into perspective. He first benefited from a completely off-form Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, before beating a Karen Khachanov who was far from his best level, lacking rhythm and consistency. Encouraging wins, but not exactly absolute benchmarks either.

This match-up could nevertheless offer Bublik a more favorable context. Munar’s game, based on consistency, high-bouncing shots and patient point construction, should give him more time to organize himself. And it’s often in this type of configuration that the Kazakh is able to raise his level, bring in his variations, drop shots and changes of pace, and become unpredictable and dangerous again.

Even so, it’s hard to imagine a one-way scenario. Bublik still hasn’t been entirely reassuring, Munar is confident and solid enough to hang in there, extend rallies and take advantage of his opponent’s slumps. Everything suggests a tight match, with service games generally being held and close sets.