Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
High seeds felt the walls closing in on court at Madrid’s Magic Box.
Top-seeded Alexander Zverev survived the squeeze against the last Spaniard standing.
Alexander Bublik shoved defending-champion Andrey Rublev right out of the draw.
World No. 77 Bublik banged 12 aces in a 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 upset of Rublev in a clash of combustible competitors.
Teetering on the ledge of an upset loss, Zverev showed superb tiebreak toughness edging Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 2-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(0) in a two-hour, 44-minute thriller.
Munich champion Zverev scored his seventh straight win to reach the Madrid round of 16 for the eighth time in as many appearances.
The second-ranked German’s comeback created ignominious history for the host nation. For the first time in history, no Spanish man reached the round of 16 at the Mutua Madrid Open—a slide exacerbated by the fact reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a lingering injury.
It is Bublik’s first win over a Top 10 opponent in a Masters 1000 and his second career Top 10 win on clay following his upset of No. 9 Gael Monfils at the 2020 Roland Garros.
Bublik is the first man to topple a defending Madrid champion before the quarterfinals since 2013 when Kei Nishikori upset Roger Federer.
It’s a devastating defeat for Rublev, who was 5-2 lifetime vs. Bublik.
The eighth-ranked Rublev, who has been working with Hall of Famer Marat Safin loses 950 ranking points in a result that drops him out of the Top 10 for the first time since September of 2022 ending a 138-week run in the Top 10. Rublev falls to No. 17 in the ATP Live Rankings, while American Tommy Paul, who edged Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca on Saturday night, moves up to No. 10.
Rublev, who saw his six-match Madrid winning streak snapped, suffered his earliest ever exit at the Mutua Madrid Open. Afterward, Rublev said he’s searching for answers.
"I don't know what to say. I'm trying to be positive, trying to improve the things I have to improve,” Rublev said. “I didn't start the season well, I was focused on the process. Now it is something similar.
“I'm not doing well in terms of results, but I'm trying to focus on the process and hopefully sooner or later everything will improve."
While clay is not Bublik’s best surface, the high altitude and quicker clay courts of the Magic Box make Madrid Bublik’s most successful Masters 1000 tournament. Bublik, who reached the round of 16 for the third time in five appearances, said conditions suit his big-serving, aggressive game style.
“It was a good match,” Bublik told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “I was waiting for this performance that’s supposed to come at a certain point in my life.
“It was a really, really good match. I stayed focused… {Madrid has] fast [courts], indoor altitude—that’s the best I can ask for.”
The 27-year-old Kazakh will face either 12th-seeded American Ben Shelton or Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik for a quarterfinal spot.
No. 31-seeded Brandon Nakashima broke three times in a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Italian Flavio Cobolli. Nakashima will play either former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev or Juan Manuel Cerundolo for a quarterfinal spot. Nakashima, who had a first-round bye, has not surrendered a set in two tournament wins.