Bublik experienced such a purple patch that he ended the fourth set with a remarkable reflex โtweener before drilling a down-the-line backhand past de Minaur at the net. He stood in the middle of the court, arms outstretched, and soaked in the crowdโs adoration.
By then, de Minaur was in major trouble, and Bublikโs momentum was like a runaway train.
Momentum: Alexander Bublik steamrolled de Minaur after going two sets down.Credit: Getty Images
The Kazakhโs mid-match surge started in similar fashion with an outrageously good point early in the third set, after which he wagged his finger then bowed once he returned to the baseline. This was the best version of reality TV.
There were few signs after the first two sets of what was to come, given Bublikโs drop shot obsession and error-filled, rushed play offered such feeble resistance to de Minaur until then.
But his sudden strategic shift from the start of the third set to hit his way out of trouble from the baseline paid immediate dividends.
De Minaurโs downfall kick-started with a double fault โ one of his eight for the match โ that gifted former world No.17 Bublik a 2-0 advantage in the third set.
De Minaur in action on the red clay of Paris.Credit: Getty Images
The Australian No.1โs serving was underwhelming in his first-round win over Laslo Djere and even in the first two sets against Bublik, but became a major problem as the match wore on as the Kazakh went on the attack.
De Minaur landed fewer than half of his first serves and will be desperate to correct that for the grasscourt season.
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Bublik shelved the drop shot for a period as he regained a foothold in the contest, but then began using it at much wiser junctures as a complementary weapon to his rocket-launcher groundstrokes.
Any hope of de Minaur arresting Bublikโs momentum and swinging the match back in his favour in the final set soon evaporated. He immediately faced a break point in his opening service game, and Bublik went full throttle on an inside-out backhand that de Minaur found too hot to handle.
That break of serve handed Bublik his first lead in the match since 2-0 in the opening set. Consecutive de Minaur errors in the fifth game effectively sealed his fate as his Kazakhstan rival snatched a second break.
Bublik has slipped to 62nd in the rankings and started this fortnight with a 7-13 record for the year, but his best tennis remains breathtaking and can threaten almost anyone on tour.
De Minaur, who remains vulnerable to the worldโs biggest hitters, discovered that the hard way as his claycourt campaign ended abruptly, only weeks after announcing he was ready to challenge anyone on the red dirt.
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