Alexander Bublik and Corentin Moutet will clash again at the Paris Masters on Wednesday, and sparks could fly once more.
Both tennis competitors are well-acquainted with courtside drama and heated exchanges. They’ve experienced numerous run-ins with officials, and they nearly came to blows during their previous encounter.
An official was forced to intervene and keep Bublik – who has already been involved in some controversy at this year’s Paris Masters – and Moutet apart during a post-match confrontation at the Phoenix Challenger in March. They exchanged an icy handshake before Bublik challenged his French rival to step outside for a “fight.”
The tension began building earlier in the contest when Bublik was getting ready to serve and Moutet indicated he wasn’t prepared. However, the current world No. 16 proceeded with the point anyway and responded: “I don’t give a s—.”
Bublik clinched a 2-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 triumph in the quarterfinals and eventually reached the Phoenix final. The Kazakhstani player then confronted Moutet as his adversary was gathering his equipment to exit the court.
“Ten minutes outside? Let’s go. We have a fight?” he questioned. The supervisor entered the court and attempted to escort Bublik away while the umpire handled Moutet, but the Kazakhstani continued pressing.
“The French kid is speaking, and he doesn’t want to fight. Let’s go, we meet in 10 minutes outside,” he continued.
During their Phoenix meeting, Bublik held the No. 82 world ranking, while Moutet sat at No. 79. Both have since enjoyed breakthrough campaigns and now occupy career-best positions, with Bublik at No. 16 and Moutet at No. 32.
Bublik, who has clinched four titles this year across all three surfaces and defeated Jannik Sinner en route to the Halle Open title, is set for a rematch with Moutet in Paris. Moutet, who recently made it to the Almaty final only to finish second to Daniil Medvedev, also reached the quarter-finals in Vienna last week, where he avenged his loss to Medvedev.
Despite their previous clash in Arizona, Moutet had nothing but praise for Bublik ahead of their Paris showdown.
“He’s a very good player. He had wonderful results this year, especially on indoor hard courts. Tennistically, it’s going to be hard, but I’m going to focus on my game. We’ll see. I’m going to prepare just like any other match,” the Frenchman said.
Reflecting on his recent climb up the rankings, Moutet said: “I feel that this ranking is more aligned with my game. I knew I could do it, but now, to be part of the top 30 players, you have to fight to play a lot of matches, you have to have a lot of matches under your belt to beat the best, and it wasn’t the case for me over the last years for many different reasons.
“I knew that I could do it, but then I had to move up and there was room for improvement. I managed to adjust my game, and I’m proud to have achieved that with my team. Then it’s a means to an end. I want to aim higher.”
