Video - When Bublik and Fritz Delighted the Chengdu Crowd with Laughter in 2019

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 25/09/2025 à 12h29

1 min to read

Bublik Chengdu Fritz

ATP tour players are currently in the midst of their Asian tour. Alexander Bublik has just won the ATP 250 tournament in Hangzhou against Valentin Royer, his fourth title of the season, allowing him to lift trophies on all surfaces (Halle, Gstaad, Kitzbühel, and now Hangzhou).

Back in 2019, while competing at the Chengdu tournament, he decided to entertain the spectators along with his opponent, Taylor Fritz. During their first-round match, which had reached the third set, the Kazakh and the American delighted the audience with a point that began with a spoon serve by Bublik.

Between lobs and drop shots, both players had the upper hand at different moments and found themselves at the net, but it was ultimately the current world No. 16 who had the final say (see video below).

The point amused both players, who couldn't help but laugh as they returned to their chairs. In the end, Bublik won the match (4-6, 7-5, 7-5) and went on to reach the final with victories over Jordan Thompson, Grigor Dimitrov, and Lloyd Harris, before losing to Pablo Carreño Busta (6-7, 6-4, 7-6), who claimed the title.

This was the first encounter between Bublik and Fritz. Currently, the two players are tied in their head-to-head record (3-3). The Kazakh had won the first three matches, before the world No. 5 claimed the next three, including the most recent one at last year's Paris Olympics.