Kazakhstan’s top-ranked tennis player Alexander Bublik (World No. 10) — who reached the third round of the Australian Open 2026 for the first time in his career — defeated Argentine Tomás Martín Etcheverry (62) with 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in 2 hours 37 minutes.
The match on Margaret Court Arena delivered an intense contest, featuring unreturnable serves, powerful baseline groundstrokes and unstoppable smashes. Bublik mixed all of this with his trademark drop shots and frequent net approaches.
In the first set, the opponents were close to being broken only twice. In the fifth game, Bublik missed three break points, while Etcheverry missed a set point in the tenth game. The set was ultimately decided by a tie-break, which the Kazakhstani player handled more confidently, 7-4.
The second set followed a similar pattern — 6-6, and Bublik again secured the tie-break, 7–5. In the third set, he immediately broke his opponent’s serve. No matter how hard Etcheverry tried, the Argentine was unable to break back. Bublik sealed the victory, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.
Reaching the fourth round, the Kazakhstani player repeated his best achievements at Wimbledon (2023) and the US Open (2025), in which Bublik fell short of the quarterfinals.
Kazakhstani will face Australian Alex de Minaur (6), who defeated American Frances Tiafoe (34) with 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. The head-to-head score between Bublik and de Minaur is 3-2; however, in the two recent matches, Bublik has been victorious.
Earlier, Alexander Shevchenko ended his run, following the exits of Dmitry Popko and Zarina Diyas. From Kazakhstan, Elena Rybakina and Yulia Putintseva continue their campaigns in the singles draws, while Anna Danilina remains active in both doubles and mixed doubles.
