Kazakhstan's top men's singles player, Alexander Bublik, has advanced to the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 hard-court tournament in Almaty, infohub.kz reports.
The world No. 19, seeded third, received a bye into the second round. At that stage he was scheduled to face Fabian Marozsan, the world No. 64.
Minutes before the match was due to begin, it was announced that the Hungarian had withdrawn due to health problems. Bublik advanced to the quarterfinals without a match, where he will face Russia's Karen Khachanov, the world No. 25 and fifth seed.
The Almaty Open organizers issued a statement on the situation surrounding the Kazakh player's cancelled match. Spectators can receive refunds for their tickets.
"Due to the withdrawal of one of the players from the Almaty Open 2026, the match did not take place. The decision to withdraw was made by the athlete and was not dependent on the tournament organizing committee. To receive a refund for tickets to the evening session, you must submit a refund request on the website where the ticket was purchased. Thank you for your understanding," the statement reads.
The quarterfinal between Bublik and Khachanov will begin on Friday, October 23, no earlier than 19:30.