Alexander Bublik's frustration boiled over at the Indian Wells Masters as he smashed his racket five times during his third-round loss to Rinky Hijikata. The Kazakh 10th seed had taken the first set via a tiebreak, but after Hijikata levelled with a smash, Bublik unleashed his anger on his racket, drawing a mix of gasps, boos and cheers from the crowd.
The match, lasting two hours and 35 minutes, also featured Bublik's trademark controversial upside-down shot. In the third set, he used the handle of his racket to tap back a looping forehand, winning the point to the crowd's delight. However, Hijikata held serve in that game and ultimately secured the victory, marking his first-ever win against a top-10 player after a previous 0-11 record.
Hijikata, who did not face a single break point in the match, said: '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. 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.'
The Australian now faces Britain's Cameron Norrie, the 27th seed and 2021 winner, for a place in the quarter-finals. Hijikata acknowledged Norrie's quality: 'I watched a bit of his match with Demon this morning, and I thought he was playing pretty well. He's won here before, so he loves these conditions, it's going to be a very tough one but I'm looking forward to it.'
