Last year's Kitzbühel champion Alexander Bublik (ATP ranking 11) won his opening match of the 2026 tournament, defeating Argentina's Facundo Díaz Acosta (108) 6:3, 7:5, reports infohub.kz.
The Kazakh, seeded first, had a first-round bye. The South American had beaten Italian qualifier Federico Cinà (184) 4:6, 6:3, 6:4.
Taking a 2-0 lead with a break, Bublik did not allow his opponent to break back. He took the first set 6:3 in 29 minutes. In the second set, both players held serve until 5-5. Then the Kazakh broke and confirmed it, serving out the match. 6:3, 7:5 in 1 hour 19 minutes. 8:1 in aces, 67:56 in total points won.
This week, Bublik must defend his points from last year's Kitzbühel victory. After a poor showing in Gstaad, if he fails in Austria, he risks dropping two or three places in the rankings.
In the quarterfinals, the Kazakh will face the winner of the match between Alex Molčan (Slovakia, 81) and Daniel Altmaier (Germany, 61).
Another Kazakh representative, Alexander Shevchenko (84), has already been eliminated from the 2026 Generali Open. Alexander II lost to Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff (41) 6:3, 6:7(5:7), 4:6.
The Austrian Open tennis tournament has borne the sponsor name Generali Open since 2015. One of the oldest tennis tournaments, it has been held in various formats since 1894. Only men's singles on clay courts. Before its current location, it was played in Prague (during the Austro-Hungarian Empire), Salzburg, Pörtschach am Wörthersee, and Vienna. The prize fund for the ATP-250 tournament is €612,500. Over the years, winners have included American Pete Sampras, Croatian Goran Ivanišević, Argentine Guillermo Vilas, Austrian Thomas Muster, and other stars.