Last year's champion Alexander Bublik (11) defeated Argentine Facundo Díaz Acosta (108) 6:3, 7:5 in the first match of the 2026 tournament in Kitzbühel. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The Kazakh, seeded first, had a bye in the first round. The South American beat 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. Aces 8:1, total points won 67:56.
This week Bublik must defend points from last year's victory in Kitzbühel. After failing in Gstaad, Alexander risks dropping two or three positions in the rankings if he fails in Austria.
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 packed his racket at Generali Open-2026. Alexander the Second lost in the first round to German Jan-Lennard Struff (41) 6:3, 6:7 (5:7), 4:6.
The Austrian Open tennis championship has been sponsored as Generali Open since 2015. One of the oldest tennis tournaments has been held in various statuses since 1894. Only for men and only 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 of the ATP-250 tournament is €612,500. Over the years, it has been won by American Pete Sampras, Croatian Goran Ivanišević, Argentine Guillermo Vilas, Austrian Thomas Muster, and other stars.