- A tennis star’s bizarre play spectacularly backfired at the Australian Open
- Alexander Bublik attempted an underarm serve in the first round
- But he lost the point, smashed his racquet and copped a warning
A series of unfortunate events hampered Alexander Bublik’s Australian Open campaign as the seeded Kazakhstai crashed out in the first round of the tournament.
The 26-year-old took on India’s Sumit Nagal in the opening round on Tuesday, and was expected to advance against the underdog whose chances many had written off before a ball was hit.
But Bublik crumbled in the Melbourne heat and one act in particular was indicative of the star’s misfortune at the tournament.
Already a break down and defending a break point, Bublik attempted to catch Nagal off guard with an underarm serve.
The Indian read the play and returned a deep backhand down the line. Bublik, on his heels and not prepared for the response, swiped a forehand cross-court which fell out of play.
Alexander Bublik’s bizarre act spectacularly backfired at the Australian Open
The Kazakhstani lost a point on an underarm serve, smashed his racquet and copped a warning
Furious, Bublik smashed his racquet into the hard court, rendering it useless. He then handed the mangled equipment to a young fan in the crowd as the umpire issued him a warning.
Bublik was unable to stem the tide from that point on, crashing out in a straight-sets defeat to Nagal – the first Indian male player to beat a seeded rival at a grand slam in 35 years.
Before that, Ramesh Krishnan toppled then-World No 1 and defending champion Mats Wilander in the second round of the Australian Open in 1989.
India star Sumit Nagal secured a major shock to beat the world No 27 in Melbourne
