Here's how Maxime Cressy broke through to win the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport
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NEWPORT — It was all building to this moment for No. 4 seed Maxime Cressy.
His breakthrough on the ATP Tour came Sunday afternoon at the Newport Casino. The 25-year-old had already reached the top 40 in the men’s singles rankings and played his way into two finals this season — it was time to come out on top.
No. 3 seed Alexander Bublik offered a stiff challenge early but Cressy eventually found his way. This 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open should give Cressy’s serve-and-volley game a healthy dose of confidence as he enters the summer hardcourt season.
Cressy’s first win did not come without challenges. He slipped and fell to the grass chasing a short ball to his forehand side deep in the third set — Bublik was one point on his serve from 6-6 and what turned out to be the deciding tiebreaker. Cressy limped toward the umpire’s chair favoring his left knee and eventually summoned the trainer.
“He said I could still play and I trusted him,” Cressy said. “I went along with it and didn’t think about it anymore.”
Previewing the match: Bublik, Cressy to meet in Newport Hall of Fame Open final
Bublik held his nerve through a brief delay and the two players pivoted to the last of the week’s drama under splendid sunshine. Cressy earned three match points with an ace out wide and lifted the Van Alen Cup just minutes after Bublik went long on a second serve for the last of his seven double faults.
“I just wanted to make sure it was out before I made any reactions,” Cressy said. “I was expecting to fall or do something crazy, but since the ball was close, I didn’t really want to rush the excitement too soon.”
Bublik came out sizzling and looked like he was going to play Cressy off the court early, winning nine of the match’s first 11 games. He notched a pair of service breaks in the opening set and collected another while taking a 3-0 cushion in the second. Bublik’s crosscourt backhand pass gave him the lead in the match, and he held at love while jumping to what seemed like another comfortable advantage.
“He's 25 like me and only has one title under his belt,” Cressy said. “In my mind, I was like, ‘He’s going to get tight eventually.’ That helped me kind of hold onto hope in the second set.”
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Cressy caught fire from there, winning six straight games to draw level. Bublik sliced a forehand approach wide to hand Cressy a break at 3-1 — the ninth first-time winner on tour in 2022 seemed to find a different energy over the remainder of the match. Another wide Bublik forehand and backhand volley into the net handed Cressy the final two points in the second.
“I felt at 3-1 something shifted,” Cressy said. “I felt more relaxed and that the stress was on his side.”
Cressy took out four-time champion John Isner in three sets to escape the semifinals and faced another heavy server in Bublik, who was looking to capture his second career title and bury the demons of a runner-up finish here in 2019. Cressy won 62% of points played on Bublik’s second serve and 51% on his own, the defining statistics in a match that otherwise wound up fairly even.
“There’s such a huge difference between his first and second serves,” Cressy said. “I just needed to stay consistent and hope that he would double fault or miss.”
Earlier coverage: Not done yet: Andy Murray shows his Tennis Hall-of-Fame talent in win over Sam Querrey
The afternoon started with Little Compton summer resident William Blumberg taking home a share of his second straight doubles title. Blumberg teamed with former Newport singles champion Steve Johnson to slip past top seeds Raven Klassen and Marcelo Melo, 6-4, 7-5.
Blumberg is a Connecticut native who grew up spending a few weeks each year just a short drive from these picturesque grounds. He had several family members in the boxes to watch a late service break in each set deliver the crown. Blumberg teamed with Jack Sock to win in straight sets last year while Johnson prevailed in a three-set battle over Ramkumar Ramanathan to capture his 2018 title.
“Playing in front of family and friends means everything to me,” Blumberg said. “It doesn’t matter, win or lose. To have them and their support, that’s really what matters to me in life.”
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Tennis Hall of Fame Open in Newport has a winner - Maxime Cressy
