The 25-year-old was competing in the Open Sud de France as the defending champion. He surprisingly lost the first set, but bounced back to take the match to a decisive third set against unseeded Grégoire Barre.
World number 50 Bublik went 4-2 up in the third set, but then things started to unravel for the sixth seed. In the tiebreak, Bublik committed three double faults and fell behind 6–0, his composure failing him and he broke his racket five times on the court.
He then went to his bag to get another racket, which he also hit on the floor. Not finished, he grabbed another racket and hit it repeatedly across the court.
Not surprisingly, he was cautioned for racket abuse.
His title defense came at an early end as Barrere cruised into the second round with a 6-4 6-7 (12) 7-6 (3) victory, with Bublik’s 14 double faults proving costly.
