Alexander Bublik’s run at Indian Wells ended in frustration after a three-set defeat to qualifier Rinky Hijikata in the round of 32. The Kazakh, chasing his first R16 appearance at the tournament, couldn’t convert his momentum and instead drew attention for a heated moment during the match.

Bublik won the first set in the tiebreaker, 7-6(3). The Australian made a comeback in the second set, taking it into another tiebreaker. After losing the set, he smashed his racket onto the court five times and let his anger out. This was matched with mixed reactions from the crowd, some of them cheering and some booing.

This is not the first time Bublik has been seen breaking a racket on court. The most infamous incident came at Montpellier in 2023. He was defending his title against Gregoire Barrere, and in the third set tie-breaker, he committed three consecutive double faults.

After the third one, he obliterated his racket by smashing it rigorously on the court. He did not stop there. He walked towards his kit bag, grabbed another racket, and smashed it, followed by another. The 28-year-old broke three rackets in the span of 25 seconds, for which he was fined under “Unsportsmanlike Conduct.”

There is a long history of Bublik breaking his rackets on the court out of anger. One such incident happened at the 2024 Paris Masters. In the second round, he was playing the 13th seed Holger Rune. After a series of unforced errors, Bublik broke his racket into pieces and, instead of tossing it in the dustbin or keeping it in his kit, he gave it as a souvenir to a young fan sitting in the front row. He lost the match, but this gesture became a viral moment at the time. 

In consecutive months, one more incident had taken place at the China Open. Frustrated by his timing against Italian player Flavio Cobolli, he once again obliterated his racket into the court five times. Bublik had already taken the first set and was trailing in the second. The eight seed put a normal backhand into the net, resulting in him losing that set and the match as well. 

In each of these incidents, losing his cool has rarely worked in his favor. His outbursts have often been followed by defeats, along with fines for his on-court behavior.

Beyond his anger issues, Bublik is also known for his theatrics on the court. He is always entertaining the crowd with an odd tweener or a surprise underarm serve, or some other trick shot. After a frustrating second set for the Kazakh player, he pulled his signature upside-down trick shot at the start of the third set. 

Bublik had cornered the Australian with a deep forehand on his backhand side, which he managed to return with a short lob. The world no. 10 had enough time to flip his racket and hit it with the handle for a winner. The first time he played this shot was in the Moselle Open final in 2022, where he was booed for it. The shot definitely garnered applause from the crowd, but did not come in a winning cause. 

Hijikata won the third set comfortably. He played it smartly, stretching the points into longer rallies and forcing Bublik to make errors. The tenth seed made 48 unforced errors in total, eventually costing him the match. In the post-match interview, the qualifier reflected on his win and the match to come. 

Alexander Bublik’s opponent admits to a “tough” battle

Rinky Hijikata was already coming off a solid win against the 20th seed, Luciano Darderi, in the second round. By defeating Alexander Bublik, he broke his streak of 0-11 against top 10 players to reach his first-ever Masters 1000 fourth round. The Australian qualifier will now face world no. 27, Cameron Norrie, to fight for a quarter-final spot at ‘The Tennis Paradise’.

Hijikata and Bublik had met once previously at the Phoenix Challenger tournament last year. The Kazakhstani had the better of the former player in that match.

“It was a bloody tough second round of a Challenger last year, and I’m glad we could play in the second week here this year,” Hijikata stated. 

Having played the showman once, the 25-year-old knew that it was going to be a tough match. He was aware that he needed to bring his best foot forward to be able to beat him. 

“Obviously, he’s a quality player. He’s had a hell of a year, never easy to face so I’m just pumped to get through. It could be the first time in my life I didn’t face a break point. I’ve been working really hard with Sharky [Mark Draper], my coach, on my serve… keep applying pressure and keep holding serve.”

This win earned him a re-entry inside the top 100. Jumped 22 places from his previous ranking, placed at world No. 95 at the moment. However, he was unable to keep up the momentum against his next opponent, Cameron Norrie, losing in straight sets. 

For now, the Indian Wells journey has ended for Alexander Bublik and Rinky Hijikata, but there’s still Miami to conquer! Will the Kazakh come back from this loss stronger and take it up a notch? Share your thoughts in the comments below.