Cressy Rallies To Deny Bublik For Newport Title In Thriller
Maxime Cressy dropped nine of the first 11 games to Alexander Bublik in the Newport final before rallying to win it 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) in thrilling fashion.
“It’s an incredible feeling to win my first title, I never thought I would win it this way,” said Cressy. “I played my first ATP tournament here, and it’s always an incredible atmosphere. There were a lot of ups and downs today but I’m very proud of myself for fighting through it.”
The French-turned-American was twice runner-up earlier this year and looked to be headed for a third as the powerful and unpredictable Bublik cruised to a 6-2, 3-0 lead with a break point for 4-0. The Kazakh was well on his way to his second title of the season and first in Newport after dropping the 2019 final.
In this first-time meeting between these two lanky 25-year-olds, Cressy somehow turned the tables and took six straight games to force the decider. Cressy overcame a tumble in the third an grabbed the tiebreaker after a Bublik double fault for his first career title.
“Well, there’s not much to say,” Bublik said. “I’m very upset with the outcome and want to congratulate Max on his first title.”
The former UCLA Bruin was an unknown 12 months ago and now will likely get a seeding at the US Open. He also beat countrymen Steve Johnson and then John Isner to get to the final.
Bublik, who will travel to Gstaad to face Andrey Rublev on the clay Tuesday, upset Andy Murray in the quarterfinals.
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