Misc Tennis

Halle Open: Daniil Medvedev and defending champion Alexander Bublik lose

Daniil Medvedev

World number five Daniil Medvedev and defending champion Alexander Bublik were both knocked out in the second round of the Halle Open.

Russian Medvedev, the 2021 US Open winner, lost a final set tie-break in a 6-3 2-6 7-6 (7-5) defeat by China’s Zhang Zhizhen.

Kazakh Bublik, who defeated Russia’s Andrey Rublev in last year’s final, was beaten 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-3 by American Christopher Eubanks.

Second seed Alexander Zverev will play French 20-year-old Arthur Fils in the quarter-finals following a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) win over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.

Elsewhere, Victoria Azarenka reached the Berlin Open quarter-finals before play was postponed because of rain.

Contesting his first grass court tournament of the season, Medvedev, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, lost out to Zhang as the world number 42 recovered from a 5-3 deficit in the decisive tie-break.

Zhang will meet Eubanks next after the Wimbledon quarter-finalist ended Bublik’s title defence.

Also in Halle, former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini, of Italy, won 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 against American Alex Michelsen.

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at BBC Sport…