Alexander Bublik delivers salty message to Maxime Cressy after Newport defeat

It all got a little bit salty after the Hall of Fame Open final as Alexander Bublik told Maxime Cressy he only won because he was ‘lucky.’

Cressy won his first ever ATP Tour title in Newport, coming back from a set down to beat Bublik 2-6, 6-3, 7-6.

There were no real pleasantries after the match, though, with Alexander Bublik allowing frustration to get the better of him.

“You had great luck,” Bublik told Cressy after the match on court. “Put your whole prize money on red. You’re going to win big,”

Cressy, for his part didn’t appear all that impressed, replying: “I apologize for being lucky.”

For all Bublik’s attempts to put Cressy’s win down to luck, the truth is that the Kazakhstani was responsible for his own downfall.

He had a chance to go a set and two breaks up in the second, but he was unable to covert break point and allowed Cressy to come back into it.

That comeback also coincided with what first appeared to be a very nasty fall from the American, although he later believed it actually helped him.

“It was a very scary moment,” Cressy said. “Although I was thinking more about losing the match than the knee itself.

“I was debating whether I should take a medical time-out but the physio didn’t seem to think it was serious and he advised me to keep going.

“I listened to him and focused on the next point. I believe the fall made me more relaxed. It calmed down the nerves. Maybe it was destiny that I fell and then got off to a solid start in the tie-break.”

The win helped Cressy climb to a career high 33 in the world, meaning he is now looking in a strong position to be seeded for the US Open.

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