Tsitsipas silences the noise with finest performance in months
Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Alexander Bublik 6-2, 7-5 on Saturday evening and will face Spaniard Daniel Merida in the next round
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Madrid 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Stefanos Tsitsipas, now ranked No 80, beat Alexander Bublik, the No 8 seed, 6-2, 7-5 on Saturday evening to reach the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open. This result carried weight well beyond the scoreline for a player who has spent much of 2026 fighting himself as much as his opponents.
The Greek’s first round against American Patrick Kypson (3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4)) had descended into something uglier. Microphones caught Tsitsipas directing a stream of abuse at his father and coach Apostolos in the stands — “bastard, you piece of shit,” “go fuck yourself, imbecile,” “stupid” — as he struggled through a three-set escape.
Before Saturday’s match, he posted on social media: “Calm is a superpower. Especially when they expect a reaction and get a smile.” Against Bublik, he delivered on it. There was no drama, no implosion, no moment where the match threatened to slip. He broke Bublik three times and closed out the second with the kind of controlled aggression that once made him a top-five player.
5-0 against Bublik
It was only his fourth top-20 win since 2024 – a measure of how far his form has fallen since he reached the Australian Open final three years ago. The 5-0 record against Bublik, now 3-0 at tour level, is one of the reliable facts of his recent career. Saturday was his sixth time reaching the Madrid third round, a tournament where he was finalist in 2019. He faces Spanish qualifier Daniel Merida next.
Bublik’s defeat was the tenth seeded player to exit the draw in two days. Friday had already consumed six: No 4 Ben Shelton, beaten in three hours by Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic; No 5 Alex de Minaur, dismantled 6-3, 6-1 by teenage wild card Rafael Jodar; No 9 Andrey Rublev, beaten by Czech Vit Kopriva; No 14 Valentin Vacherot, eliminated by Emilio Nava; No 15 Tommy Paul, who fell to Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante; and No 32 Gabriel Diallo, who retired against Danish qualifier Elmer Moller.
Saturday added No 28 Brandon Nakashima (Alexander Blockx), No 30 Ugo Humbert (Terence Atmane) and No 20 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, beaten by compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta. Bublik became the tenth.
Madrid open Round of 32 (Round 3) — to be played
Sinner (1) vs Moller
Norrie (19) vs Tirante
Kopriva vs Rinderknech (22)
Fonseca (27) vs Jodar
Prizmic vs Etcheverry (25)
Fils (21) vs Nava
Lehecka (11) vs Michelsen (33)
Griekspoor (29) vs Musetti (6)
Tsitsipas vs Merida
Ruud (12) vs. Davidovich Fokina (20)
Cerundolo (16) – Darderi (18)
Blockx vs Auger-Aliassime (3)
Medvedev (7) vs. Kjaer
Cobolli (10) vs. Vallejo
Khachanov (13) vs Mensik (23)
Atmane vs Zverev (2)
