The Frenchman didn’t let the mind games of top-seeded Kazakh Alexander Bublik throw him off his game.
French tennis pro Quentin Halys has won his first ATP Tour title in Kitzbühel. The 29-year-old, who had previously eliminated Yannick Hanfmann of Karlsruhe in the semifinals, pulled off an upset by defeating top-seeded Kazakh Alexander Bublik 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).
At the 250-level tournament in the Tyrolean Alps, Halys impressed above all with a strong serve. Bublik, ranked 11th in the world and last year’s champion, tried at times to throw Halys—ranked 83rd in the ATP rankings—off his game with mind games. Midway through the second set, Bublik pressed his racket into the hand of a ball boy; shortly afterward, he positioned himself almost on the T-line while his opponent was serving. The Frenchman kept his cool—and responded to the latter with an ace.
After 1 hour and 34 minutes, Halys converted his first match point in the tiebreak and, in his second ATP final, finally won his long-awaited first title.