The China Mail - Bublik plays 'match of his life' to upset De Minaur in Paris

The 27-year-old Monaco-based player said he was already thinking about the journey home before De Minaur threw him a lifeline to turn their second-round match in his favour, 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

"I was checking the tickets already in my head," said Bublik, who had 12 double faults and 12 aces in the match of two halves.

"I was a bit sleepy in the first two sets. It was a key to wake up and then to play one of the best Slam matches that I ever played in my life.

"I'm not going to tank at a Slam. So he gave me a chance and I used it. Then it was a bit of a momentum shift."

De Minaur, a quarter-finalist in Paris last year, hit 46 winners to 51 for Bublik.

"Every chance that I had since the third set, I used it," said Bublik who had 48 unforced errors to De Minaur's 34.

"He was playing unbelievable.

"Then at a certain moment, he made a few mistakes, he gave me the break. Then he gave me another break. I start fighting.

"So yeah, it's one of the most important wins."

For De Minaur, 26, it was "one of those matches that kind of just slipped away without a whole lot of meaning".

"Look, I'm just tired. I'm tired mentally. I'm a little bit burnt out, if anything. A lot of tennis being played," he said.

"In a way, the good thing is that what's happened today is something like a miracle, right, in the sense that I'm not known for these types of performances or losing a match like this from two sets to love up."

Bublik next meets Portugal's Henrique Rocha who also came from two sets down against Czech teenager Jakub Mensik to win 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Rocha joins fellow countryman Nuno Borges in the third round, the first time two Portuguese men have advanced to the last 32 at a major.

W.Tam--ThChM