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US Open Begins With Drama as Controversial ATP Star Breaks Racquet in Frustration After Failing to Cope Up With Dominic Thiem’s Domination

Published 08/28/2023, 1:13 PM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The 2023 US Open is off to quite an eventful start. Top tennis players across the globe have made their way to New York to succeed in one of the biggest events of the tennis calendar. With emotions running high and the margin for error less, the tournament is bound to experience eventful scenes. Just minutes ago, one such controversial scene erupted during Dominic Thiem and Alexander Bublik‘s match.

The former US Open champion is up against the 25th seed from Kazakhstan in the first round of the US Open. It was a high-voltage clash, with Bublik’s current form coming up against Thiem’s past experiences. It was the latter that turned out to be successful. As a result, Bublik vented out his frustration right in the middle of the court.

Alexander Bublik smashes racket during the match against Dominic Thiem

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The Austrian started the match on the front foot. He dominated Bublik all over the court and hardly gave him any breathing space. However, things turned worse at the end of the second set.

As Bublik proceeded towards changeover, he smashed his racket hard twice on the court. Apparently disappointed with a simple unforced error, Bublik caused tremendous destruction to his racket.

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The video of the incident was shared on social media platforms like Twitter and it quickly went viral.

This is not the first time Bublik has caused controversy with his actions. Earlier this year, the Kazakh star was involved in a heated argument with the chair umpire after losing to Stanislas Wawrinka at the  ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam. Further, his US Open journey has also come to an end.

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‘He Knows F**k All’- Dominic Thiem Triggers Tennis Fans With His Hot Take on GOAT Race Involving Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic

Thiem outclasses Bublik

The 2020 US Open champion showed glimpses of his prime form as he overcame the challenge of Bublik. It was an upset of sorts, with the Kazakh star seeded 25th. However, Thiem got the better of him in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. In the next round, the Austrian will face the winner of the match between Ben Shelton and Pedro Cachin.

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Can Thiem find his old mojo back and dig deep at this year’s US Open? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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Written by:

Vatsal Shah

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Vatsal Shah is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. With a Bachelor's degree in engineering, he is a die hard fan of tennis and sports in general. He is an ardent follower of Rafael Nadal and is inspired by his never-say-die attitude.
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Edited by:

Bhavani Singh