WATCH: Ben Shelton and Alexander Bublik's Canadian Open clash ends in hilarious fashion as latter's final attempt at saving the match steals the show

Alexander Bublik's comical attempt to save a match point against Ben Shelton during their first-round encounter at the 2024 Canadian Open is making waves on social media. 11th-seeded Shelton eventually defeated the Kazakh to advance to the second round of the Masters 1000 event.

The closely contested first set went to a tiebreaker, with Shelton winning 7-6 (4). The American carried the momentum into the second set, winning 6-2 and securing the match which ended on a rather hilarious note.

While holding three match points at 5-2 in the second set, Shelton hit a backhand drop shot close to Bublik's side of the net. Although the ball seemed out of reach, Bublik rushed forward and threw his racquet underneath the ball. While the ball did manage to cross the net, the shot didn't count since the Kazakh had let go of his racquet.

Both players were later seen sharing a laugh over the hilarious turn of events. Watch the clip shared by Tennis TV on X (formerly Twitter).

This marked Ben Shelton's first win over Alexander Bublik in their three meetings. Following their singles clash, Shelton and Bublik teamed up for a second-round doubles encounter against Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper, losing 6-7 (2), 1-6.

---

"I think that my game is evolving every day": Ben Shelton after his first-round win at the Canadian Open

Day Seven: The Championships - Wimbledon 2024 - Source: Getty

While addressing the media after his win over Bublik, Shelton said that he felt more comfortable against opponents that he previously struggled against, noting that his game was evolving. The 21-year-old also expressed the belief that he was taking strides in the right direction towards finding his identity on the court.

“I think the consistency in my tennis is improving every week. I’m feeling more and more comfortable. I’m starting to feel more comfortable on the court against guys that I’ve had a lot of trouble with before. I think that my game is evolving every day. Surely not the player that I want to be in the future, but I think I’m moving the right way with a lot of things and finding identity on court,” Shelton said (via ATP Tour).

Shelton will face Australia's Alexei Popyrin in the second round of the Masters 1000 event. World No. 62 Popyrin advanced by defeating Tomas Machac in straight sets in the opening round. This will be the second meeting between Shelton and Popyrin, with the American winning their previous encounter at the 2023 Australian Open.