Halle Open: Alexander Bublik Shocks Jannik Sinner With Comeback Victory

Alexander Bublik pulled off a superb comeback to stun reigning Halle Open champion Jannik Sinner and reach the Halle Open quarter-final.

The pair faced off in the last eight at the French Open earlier this month, and Bublik got his revenge for that defeat by rallying to a 3-6 6-3 6-4 win in just over two hours on Thursday.

It looked like it might be a repeat of what happened at Roland-Garros as Sinner cruised through the first set in just under half an hour, taking the lead with a love hold.

However, Bublik held off three break points in the first game of the second set, before getting the vital break in the sixth to take a 4-2 lead, which allowed him to force a decider.

Sinner pushed, making Bublik defend again at the start of the third set, but it was the Kazakh who found the edge with a three-match winning streak thrusting him into a 5-3 lead. He then served out the match at the first attempt.

Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev was also forced to go the distance to continue his run at Halle, coming from behind to beat Lorenzo Sonego.

The German triumphed 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2) in just under two and a half hours, becoming the sixth player to earn 20 wins at the tournament.

Zverev overcame a stern test as he continues to chase his first grass-court title, with Flavio Cobolli his opponent in the quarter-final. Bublik will face Tomas Machac.

Data Debrief: Bublik halts Sinner's impressive run

Sinner had not failed to reach a final in a tournament he had entered since Montreal last August.

The world number one had also won 48 of his previous 51 matches before Thursday, with Carlos Alcaraz the only player to beat him during that run.

Sinner had also won his last 66 matches against players outside of the top 20, but Bublik put a stop to all of that, earning the biggest victory of his career.