Mattia Bellucci leaves everyone speechless in Halle

Mattia Bellucci shines on the grass courts of Halle. The world No. 74 defeated world No. 11 Alexander Bublik in his main draw debut, winning 7–6(6), 6–1 in just over an hour and a quarter. A highly prestigious victory for the player from Castellanza, who will face Belgian Raphael Collignon in the round of 16.

Bellucci had reached the main draw by advancing through qualifying, where he defeated Mikhail Kukushkin and Alex Bolt. This run had already demonstrated the Lombard left-hander’s solidity, which was then confirmed against Bublik with a closely contested first set and a second set dominated with surprising ease.

The result in Halle didn’t come out of nowhere: Bellucci had already shone last week in Stuttgart, where he reached the quarterfinals by defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Yannick Hanfmann, before falling to Taylor Fritz. This is an important sign of consistency ahead of Wimbledon, where his aggressive tennis and his ability to read situations on grass could prove to be valuable assets.

In Halle, Bellucci is also competing in doubles alongside Nick Kyrgios, the flamboyant Australian bad boy who is trying to regain his best form after a long string of injuries. The pair represents one of the most intriguing combinations in the tournament, with Kyrgios determined to use every minute on the court to prepare for his return at Wimbledon.