Jannik Sinner suffered on Thursday his first defeat of the year to a player other than Carlos Alcaraz this year. In fact, Sinner had not lost to anyone, excluding Spaniard, since August 2024. His executioner was Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik, ranked 45th in the world, Sinner's lowest ranked defeat since August 2023.
Sinner started winning, but ended up falling 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Halle Open second round (round of 16). This means that Sinner will not be able to defend the 500 points of this grass tournament in Germany, and by Monday he will lose 450 points.
Sinner was still affected by the Roland Garros defeat: "The truth is that after the defeat in Paris, it hasn't been easy to compete here. I am relatively satisfied to have been able to play two matches on grass before Wimbledon", the World No. 1 said (via Punto de Break).
"I'm going to recover mentally and physically. I need some time for that and I think a break will be good for me. Mentally, I've been feeling good, but I'm a bit tired physically", he added. His early exit and longer rest period could be important for his Wimbledon aspirations.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz beat his compatriot Jaume Munar at Queen's, earning his 15th straight victory, best winning streak of his career. Alcaraz has already improved his position from last year, where he lost in second round to Jack Draper, so the Spaniard will be able to cut some distance from Sinner before Wimbledon in two weeks.