Alexander Bublik wins a tough match in five sets

At Wimbledon, the season's third Grand Slam, 10th seed Alexander Bublik began the tournament with a breathtaking match. The Kazakh beat his first-round opponent Thanasi Kokkinakis after a grueling five-set battle to book his place in the second round. The match at the All England Club lasted three hours and 41 minutes.

Unable to start the match as he wanted, Bublik fell behind by losing the first set 4-6. But the Kazakh responded in the second set, taking it 6-3 to level things up. One of the key moments came in the third set; losing the set, which went to a tie-break, after a long tussle, Bublik fell behind again and his opponent went 2-1 ahead.

Needing to come back from a difficult position, Bublik raised his game in the fourth set. Taking the set 6-3 to make it 2-2, the Kazakh forced the match into a fifth and decisive set. In a balanced final set, it was again Bublik who made the difference; standing out with his effectiveness on serve and the points he won, the player took the final set 6-4 to close out the match.

With this result, Alexander Bublik continued his path in the tournament after a physically and mentally draining match. Able to keep the edge in a tussle that lasted five sets, the Kazakh laid down his claim on grass. Bublik's opponent in the next round will be one of the closely followed storylines of the grass-court season.

Match by the numbers: Winners 65-59, unforced errors 28-43, break points won 3/9-1/6, first-serve points won 84%-72%, second-serve points won 52%-46%. Set scores: 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(10), 6-3, 6-4.

Image: Punto de Break