New Delhi, July 24 -- KITZBUHEL - The drop shot landed a foot inside the service line, spinning away from Facundo Diaz Acosta before the Argentine could close on it, and Alexander Bublik pumped his fist toward the thin mountain air. The moment, arriving at 6-5 in the second set, sealed a 6-3, 7-5 victory for the top seed at the Generali Open on Thursday and gave the Kazakh breathing room in a draw that has been shedding favorites since opening day.

Bublik needed 90 minutes to dispatch Diaz Acosta on the red clay courts in the Austrian Alps, his serve dominant enough to suppress a game opponent who found no traction on the Kazakh's second delivery. Diaz Acosta converted just 18 percent of second-serve points, a figure that amounts to a sl...