Alexander Bublik exits French Open singles in first round

In a tough opening match at the French Open in Paris, Kazakhstan’s top-ranked player Alexander Bublik (World No. 10) lost to German Jan-Lennard Struff (No. 80) 5-7, 7-6(8-6), 4-6, 5-7.

Current tournament was special for Bublik. He has never previously been in a position where he needed to defend points for a Grand Slam quarterfinal run in singles. His breakthrough performance last year at the French Open has now turned into a ranking burden: since he has not repeated that result, he will likely drop out of the top 10.

Bublik struggled throughout the clay-court season, and the draw was not favorable either. The 36-year-old Struff is not an easy opponent for him, with their head-to-head score at 3-3 prior to this match.

After a sequence of mutual breaks in the first set (3-3), a tiebreak was expected. However, at 5-6, Bublik lost his serve to love, allowing Struff to take the set 7-5.

In the second set, there were no breaks, with both players holding consistently throughout, resulting in a tiebreak. Bublik fell behind 3-6 in the breaker but then won five consecutive points to take it 8-6, securing the set 7-6(8-6).

The ninth game proved decisive in the third set. Serving at 4-4, Bublik was broken at the worst possible moment, then offered little resistance as his opponent consolidated the break to take the set 6-4.

In the fourth set, Bublik served for the set at 5-3 but could not convert. He also strained his right shoulder in the process. After dropping three consecutive games, he turned to the medical staff — but it proved little help as Struff closed out the match 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-5 in 3 hours and 10 minutes.

In the second round, Struff will face Portuguese Jaime Faria (No. 115).

Bublik will also compete in doubles, partnering with Kazakhstani player Alexander Shevchenko. In the first round, they are scheduled to face the American duo Rajeev Ram and Benjamin Kittay on May 27.

The French Open is the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. Traditionally, it concludes the spring clay-court season. The 2026 Roland Garros prize pool amounts to a record €61.7 million, up 9.5% from the previous year.