‘Flying’ Corentin Moutet Loses Shoe at Crucial Moment During Paris Masters Clash with Alexander Bublik

Alexander Bublik improved his head-to-head record over Corentin Moutet to 2-0 after their Paris Masters clash.

‘Flying’ Corentin Moutet Loses Shoe at Crucial Moment During Paris Masters Clash with Alexander Bublik

Corentin Moutet's shoe flew off during his match against Alexander Bublik (Image via X/ESPN, The Tennis Letter)

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Corentin Moutet and Alexander Bublik faced off in a rematch of the Phoenix Challenger quarterfinal, where the latter wanted both to go outside and fight, before they were eventually separated by the chair umpire and the supervisor. This time, when they met on October 29 in the Paris Masters second round, no such altercation happened.

But there was still some bad blood between them. It all started when Moutet, prior to the match, expressed his wish to send Bublik home, and after the latter’s 6-3, 7-5 win at the La Defense Arena, he wrote “on the way home” on the camera, taking a dig at Moutet for his comment. Then there were some war of words, though they did not confront each other face-to-face.

Though the match ended in straight sets in favor of Bublik, Moutet tried his all to send the 13th seed packing, with the crowd witnessing some interesting rallies. During one of such efforts during the eighth game of the second set, Moutet’s show flew off while he was stretching to return a shot.

Here’s the picture of the shot:

Bublik did not repeat what he did in his previous match. After not receiving an apology after losing a point off the net cord against Alexei Popyrin, he ignored the Aussie by not shaking hands with him. But after winning the last point against Moutet, he stood at the net with his hand ready and smiled when they shook hands.

The win has helped Bublik take a 2-0 head-to-head lead over the World No.32. The 26-year-old was chasing his career’s first title in Paris, while Bublik is a winner of eight titles. This season, the World No.16 has taken home four trophies (Halle Open, Swiss Open Gstaad, Austrian Open Kitzbuhel, and Hangzhou Open).

Bublik, however, is yet to win a Masters 1000 title, and in fact, has never reached a semifinal at this level. In Paris, he will be playing the third round for the second time, following the 2023 season. Only he reached a Masters 1000 quarterfinal (at the 2021 Madrid Open and Miami Open).

Alexander Bublik on the top 10 ranking goal

Alexander Bublik climbed to a career-best 16th ranking when he won the Hangzhou Open. He is already at the No.15 spot on the live rankings. If he wins his third-round match against fourth seed Taylor Fritz, Bublik will become a World No.13, and winning the tournament will take him to the No.8 position. But Bublik is not thinking about cracking the top 10.

Alexander Bublik (3)
Alexander Bublik (Image via X/ESPN Tenis)

Maybe yes, maybe no; you know how this works. I don’t want to add extra weight on my back right now; we are nearing the end of the season, everyone is a bit banged up, every part of your body is aching, so what you try to do is survive, at least try.

Alexander Bublik said at the press conference in Paris

Against Fritz, Bublik holds a 3-3 head-to-head record. The American ace knocked out Aleksandar Vukic in the previous round.

That’s the thing: not making double faults in important moments, staying in the matches, and having a clear mind to make the right decision when needed. If I fulfill these requirements, then yes, great things could happen.

Alexander Bublik added

While Bublik is yet to reach a Masters 1000 final, Fritz already has one title of this level to his name. He won the 2022 Indian Wells Masters by defeating Rafael Nadal. At the Paris Masters, the 2024 US Open runner-up produced his best when he reached the quarterfinals in 2021. Last year, he lost in the second round.

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