WATCH: Astonishing Alexander Bublik grabs his first win of the clay court season

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Pure joy on the face of Alexander Bublik

Alexander Bublik grabs his ticket to move on to the round of 64 after defeating Daniel Elahi Galan at the Madrid Open—an exciting performance from both stars who put up incredible displays of devotion.

The stars had only met once before coming into this match, with Bublik claiming the only win.

Bublik sits at No. 55 on the ATP Rankings, 45 places ahead of his Colombian competitor, who sits at No. 100.

Russian star Bublik has not had the most successful start to the clay court. He came into the fixture against Galan having played and lost the only two matches he has played on the surface. Despite his lack of wins on the surface, the 25-year-old was able to put up a mighty effort to grab his first win on clay.

This was a shock of a defeat for Galan, who has proved his ability on the surface, having won five of his last seven matches on the clay court before coming into the match.

The pair certainly put up an incredible display, with both players hungry to secure their spot in the next round. Their first set was decided after a journey of a tie-breaker, which saw both players execute some outstanding shots.

The match ended 7-6 (17-15), 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 after a gruelling two hours and 50 minutes which saw the Russian star come out on top.

“When you don’t win a lot, it’s tough to finish matches, and I never felt it before because [for the past few seasons I made] 35-plus wins on the season,” said Bublik “[So far this year] I only have five, so finishing matches is not easy. I hope to get the momentum back, play better, and win more matches.”

“It’s very tough playing tennis when you are out of shape, out of rhythm,” said Bublik. “That’s why this thing happened. Last year, if I’d played the same match, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Bublik is set to face sixth seed Holger Rune tomorrow. Rune currently ranks seven in the ATP Rankings, which makes for a difficult match for the 25-year-old. However, the pair have only squared off once in their careers, which saw Bublik claim the only win, which sets up an exciting fixture.

Rune has proven his ability to play on clay and has successfully performed on the surface. He comes into this match having won eight of his last nine fixtures on the clay court. His last performance on the surface saw him claim the Bavarian International Tennis Championship after defeating fourth seed Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3) in the final.

READ MORE: Fun facts about the Madrid Open that you probably didn’t know

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Alexander Bublik Daniel Elahi Galan

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