Brisbane Roar hammered out-of-form Central Coast Mariners 4-0 in Wednesday's A-League clash to move within striking distance of the top six and earn a slice of history.
Goals from Macaulay Gillesphey and Joseph Champness had Roar two goals ahead, and a straight red card for Marco Urena just after the hour preceded more Mariners woe with subs Alex Parsons and Masato Kudo on target late on at Central Coast Stadium.
A third straight win sees Roar up to seventh, just one point shy of sixth-place Western United, while the Mariners are still third but now have just one win in their past eight.
Victory also means Roar are undefeated in 19 games against the Mariners (W15, D4), marking the longest undefeated streak of any team against a single opponent in A-League history.
The breakthrough arrived after 19 minutes when Gillesphey volleyed home at the back post after Jay O'Shea's right-wing cross was deflected into his path.
Champness brilliantly drilled home a 25-yard effort for his first A-League goal in two years shortly before Urena saw red after a VAR check for a poor tackle on O'Shea.
Parsons bent home his first A-League goal in the 89th minute and the scoring was completed with a near-post finish by Kudo in injury time.
George North will miss the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa after suffering a serious knee injury.
The versatile Wales back on Wednesday confirmed he sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in the Ospreys' Pro14 Rainbow Cup win over Cardiff Blues on Saturday.
North will undergo surgery next week and could be out for up to nine months, ruling him out of contention for what could have been his third Lions tour.
The 29-year-old tweeted: "Sport can be cruel. We all know the risks when we take the field.
"Unfortunately I ruptured my ACL on Saturday and will need surgery next week. Heartbroken is an understatement."
Stephen Curry says the Golden State Warriors have no time to dwell on a humbling 30-point defeat to the Dallas Mavericks ahead of a 10-game "sprint to the finish line".
The Warriors went down 133-103 on Tuesday in a contest in which they were stuck on 12 points for nine minutes and 38 seconds.
During that time, the Mavericks went on a 28-0 run marking the joint-second longest streak of the past two decades with only a 29-0 spell from the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Milwaukee Bucks in December 2009 beating it.
A Curry three-pointer had actually put the Warriors 12-11 ahead with eight minutes and 40 seconds of the first quarter to play, but they would then miss 18 consecutive shots including nine three-point attempts.
Reflecting on the defeat, Curry said: "You want to turn the page.
"You understand that the Mavs are a talented team – they get paid to play basketball just like we do and some nights it looks like they get paid more across the board.
"So, it's just a matter of us trying to remember who we are, remember our identity, not dwell on it too long, and find a way to keep our confidence and who we've shown ourselves to be this last little stretch."
The Warriors are 7-3 over their past 10 games in the NBA but defeat means it is unlikely they will be able to make the top six in the Western standings – spots that guarantee a playoff berth this season.
Golden State are 10th in the West, three-and-a-half games behind the sixth-placed Mavericks, and heading for the play-in tournament.
Finishing either seventh or eighth would mean the Warriors would only have to win one game in a bid to make the playoffs, with teams in ninth and 10th needing two victories to do so.
Assessing the situation, Curry added: "We have 10 games to sprint to the finish line.
"We still have a great opportunity in front of us to seize not only good momentum and good basketball down the stretch but also get in the best position possible to be in that final eight no matter how we get there."
Head coach Steve Kerr was left exasperated by the Warriors' defense and felt a lack of intensity is what cost his team most dear.
"I'm not that concerned about a nine-minute scoring drought," Kerr said. "I'm concerned about defense. I'm concerned about a level of intensity and preparation and competitiveness. That's what was missing. I'm the head coach, and I did not have them ready to play, clearly."
"Biggest game of the year and it was over before it started. Really, really disappointing. We've got a young team.
"Of the guys who were out there tonight, I think we have only three guys who were in the playoffs. Tonight was kind of like a playoff game for Dallas. They lost last night. They knew we were on their heels.
"They came out like it was a playoff game, and we came out like it was an exhibition game."
Damian Lillard lauded the Portland Trail Blazers' willingness to "get our hands dirty" after snapping a losing streak in Tuesday's defeat of the Indiana Pacers.
Lillard brought up a major landmark in a 133-112 win that ended a five-game losing streak, the guard becoming the 10th player in NBA history to hit 2,000 three-pointers.
Team-mate Anfernee Simons was incredibly accurate from beyond the arc as he nailed his first nine attempts, making him the first player in the league to achieve that feat since Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors hit 10 straight back in January 2019.
Speaking after what was his 670th career game, Lillard praised the Blazers' desire to dig deep.
"We've got to be willing to get our hands dirty," he said. "What we did tonight is something that can translate to any game.
"Being committed on the defensive end and just wanting to get that done and wanting to do whatever we got to do to win, I think that's something that we can carry from this game.
"There's no guarantee that it's going to always happen. We've just got to have that same mentality going into this stretch of games. This is what it takes.
"When you do this, you give yourself a much better chance than we have over the last few weeks.
"However, it gets done, get it done. I think it was important for us to set the tone in that way on the first game of a big trip."
The 33-28 Blazers sit seventh in the Western Conference, with all still to play for in what has been an inconsistent season.
With the playoffs in their sights despite a significant wobble in form, Lillard recognises the value of a team hitting their stride at just the right time.
"I've been in the league long enough to know that the teams that are playing the best at the right time are the teams that you worry about," he said.
Toronto Blue Jays sensation Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made MLB history in Tuesday's 9-5 win over the Washington Nationals.
Guerrero became the youngest player in major league history with three-plus homers and seven-plus RBI in a game as he fuelled the Blue Jays past the Nationals.
The 22-year-old star – son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr. – carried the Blue Jays, a monster third-inning grand slam off three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer wiping out a 3-0 deficit.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made it 7-3 with a solo homer in the fifth inning before adding a two-run home run in the seventh to complete the first three-homer game of his exciting career – not even a feat his father achieved.
Guerrero took his tally to seven home runs for the season as the Blue Jays won the series opener in Dunedin.
Trea Turner homered twice for the Nationals – his seventh multi-homer game and second this season – but it was not enough on the road.
Kluber ends wait
Corey Kluber claimed his first win since April 2019, while star sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton homered to lead the New York Yankees to a 5-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles.
For the first time since 2018, Carlos Martinez had a win as a starter – the St Louis Cardinals topping the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2. Martinez allowed two runs – one earned – in just over seven innings, having gone 0-9 in his last 12 starts.
The Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 7-5 behind Franmil Reyes, who homered twice – including a 452-foot shot.
Scherzer struggles, Dodgers downed again
It was a forgettable outing for Washington ace Scherzer, who allowed seven runs – five earned – and eight hits over five innings. He also joined Ivan Nova as the only pitchers to have allowed a home run to both Guerrero Jr. and his iconic father.
After a 13-2 start to the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have dropped seven of nine games following a 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The World Series champions are now in the midst of a three-game losing streak as they look to avoid a series sweep to the Reds.
Acuna bomb!
Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. clubbed another moon shot, this time his fifth-inning home run travelled a projected 481 feet. The Braves shut out the Chicago Cubs 5-0.
Tuesday's results
Cleveland Indians 7-4 Minnesota Twins
Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 Kansas City Royals
New York Yankees 5-1 Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays 9-5 Washington Nationals
Boston Red Sox 2-1 New York Mets
Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 Oakland Athletics
Atlanta Braves 5-0 Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 Miami Marlins
Texas Rangers 6-1 Los Angeles Angels
Detroit Tigers 5-2 Chicago White Sox
Houston Astros 2-0 Seattle Mariners
Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 San Diego Padres
Colorado Rockies 7-5 San Francisco Giants
Cincinnati Reds 6-5 Los Angeles Dodgers
St Louis Cardinals 5-2 Philadelphia Phillies
Red Sox at Mets
Mets (9-9) ace Jacob deGrom takes to the mound against the Red Sox (15-9) on Wednesday amid Hall of Fame comparisons following his red-hot form. The Red Sox counter with Nick Pivetta at Citi Field midweek.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash said the star-studded franchise have "eyes on bigger things" after clinching in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets became the first Eastern Conference team to seal an NBA postseason berth thanks to Tuesday's 116-103 win over the Toronto Raptors.
While happy with the achievement, first-year coach Nash insisted the Nets are eyeing greater things in pursuit of a maiden championship.
"It's great," Nash told reporters after the Nets made sure of their postseason spot.
"I think we have our eyes on bigger things, but it's a nice first step to clinch a berth.
"For this group, facing all we've faced, to be in this position with 10 games left is very positive."
The Nets (42-20) – who are one and a half games clear of the Philadelphia 76ers atop the east – celebrated their third consecutive win in the absence of former MVP James Harden (hamstring).
Kevin Durant had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, to go with four assists, two steals and two blocks.
Jeff Green top-scored with 22 points, while Blake Griffin added 17 points on the road to the Raptors as Kyrie Irving (nine points) struggled on three-for-13 shooting.
"I think everyone's in a positive mood," Nash said. "And just want to keep building, keep getting better, keep improving before the playoffs start, which is in a limited amount of time."
It has been a challenging season for the Nets, whose superstar trio of Durant, Harden and Irving have only played seven games together.
"Just all the adversity that we fought through this year with all the injuries, protocols, trade situations, guys getting in and out of the line-up," said former MVP and two-time NBA champion Durant.
"Very proud of everybody top to bottom, everybody in the organisation but especially our coaching staff that put us all in great positions to be successful every night. A lot of the credit goes to them."
Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could not hide his joy after making history in MLB with his three home runs against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.
Guerrero became the youngest player in MLB history with three-plus homers and seven-plus RBI in a game as he fuelled Toronto's 9-5 victory over the Nationals.
The son of an MLB Hall of Famer, Guerrero carried the Blue Jays, a monster third-inning grand slam off three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer wiping out a 3-0 deficit.
Guerrero made it 7-3 with a solo homer in the fifth inning before adding a two-run home run in the seventh to complete the first three-homer came of his exciting career – not even a feat father Vladimir Guerrero Sr. achieved.
Former Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Sr. – a nine-time All-Star, eight-time Silver Slugger and 2004 American League (AL) MVP who also homered off Scherzer in his career – tweeted post-game: "What a night for my boy. All the hard work is paying off".
Speaking to the media through a translator afterwards, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. told reporters: "Definitely my career game, no doubt. It's the first time I hit three homers, which makes it very special."
"All of this feels great. I'm feeling very blessed right now," the 22-year-old continued. "Hitting two home runs against a legend like that, it's unbelievable what I'm feeling right now.
"It's all in my preparation, all in the work that I'm putting in before the games, and I thank God that it's paying off."
Toronto's Guerrero has seven home runs through 22 games played this season, with a .693 slugging percentage.
Guerrero added: "It feels great, but all of the trust I get from my team and my team-mates, all of the work that I put in with my coaches before the game and all of the preparation, that's what it's all about."
"We talked to him last year at the end of the year," Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. "His goal was to get in better shape and to do better. He did.
"He deserves all the credit in the world for what he's doing right now, because he had an outstanding offseason and he's ready to play. He's doing what we thought he was going to do."
Guerrero's dominant display also earned praise from the opposition, with Washington's Josh Bell saying: "I feel like all of his at-bats tonight were really, really incredible -- really special.
"We saw [New York Mets ace Jacob] deGrom work last week, and that was something else. And we saw it here again. Just a franchise superstar at work. It’s fun to watch."
The star-studded Brooklyn Nets clinched a place in the NBA playoffs after rallying past the lowly Toronto Raptors 116-103.
Nets superstar Kevin Durant posted 17 points – including seven in the fourth quarter – and 10 rebounds, while team-mate Jeff Green had 22 points as Brooklyn became the first team in the Eastern Conference to secure a postseason berth on Tuesday.
The Nets trailed 90-84 early in the final period but used a 16-2 run to seize control, with Durant sealing the result with a three-pointer less than two minutes from the end in Tampa, Florida.
Brooklyn (42-20) – riding a three-game winning streak – are one and a half games clear of the Philadelphia 76ers (40-21) in the east.
Damian Lillard reached a career milestone and Anfernee Simons made his first nine three-point attempts as the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 133-112 rout of the Indiana Pacers.
Simons became the first NBA player to open with nine in a row from beyond the arc since Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors hit 10 straight to start a January 2019 game.
Portland's Simons did miss his final three-point attempt but still led the Trail Blazers (33-28) with 27 points off the bench as the team made 20 three-pointers overall.
Lillard (23 points) hit only six of 14 from the field, but one of those shots was significant. His third of four three-pointers gave him 2,000 for his career, making him the 10th player in history to hit that mark.
The All-Star achieved the feat in his 670th career game, second only to Stephen Curry's 597 among that group.
Doncic, Mavericks run away from Warriors
A meeting of NBA superstars fizzled as Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks roared past Curry and the Warriors in the first half on the way to a 133-103 blowout. Doncic had 39 points in only 28 minutes, adding eight assists and six rebounds to outplay Curry (27 points, two assists). Golden State led 12-11 early in the game, but Dallas scored the next 28 points to put it out of reach early. The Mavericks' 28-0 run was the longest since the New York Knicks did the same to the Raptors in November 2017.
Two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo did it all for the Milwaukee Bucks, posting 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in a 114-104 win against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Oklahoma City Thunder avoided unwanted history, snapping a 14-game skid by upstaging the Boston Celtics 119-115. A 15th consecutive loss would have set a franchise record for the Thunder, who were led by Luguentz Dort (24 points) and Darius Bazley (21 points and 10 rebounds). Jaylen Brown had 39 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics.
Celtics crumble again
The Celtics fell to their third successive defeat as they try to avoid the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Boston made only 19 of 55 shots from the field (34.5 per cent). The home loss dropped the Celtics (32-30) into a tie with the Miami Heat for sixth place. While Boston hold the tie-breaker advantage for now, the teams will face each other twice in the final five games of the season.
While the Nets clinched, Kyrie Irving struggled. The All-Star was just three-for-13 shooting, making just one of five three-pointers for nine points in 35 minutes.
Towns gets style points for Timberwolves
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Minnesota Timberwolves to their third win in a row with 31 points in a 114-107 victory over the Houston Rockets highlighted by a breakaway jam.
Tuesday's results
Oklahoma City Thunder 119-115 Boston Celtics
Milwaukee Bucks 114-104 Charlotte Hornets
Portland Trail Blazers 133-112 Indiana Pacers
Brooklyn Nets 116-103 Toronto Raptors
Minnesota Timberwolves 114-107 Houston Rockets
Dallas Mavericks 133-103 Golden State Warriors
Clippers at Suns
Two of the top three teams in the Western Conference meet on Wednesday as Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers (43-20) face Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns (43-18).
Los Angeles Dodgers star Cody Bellinger is "trending in the right direction" as he continues to recover from a hairline fracture in his left fibula, according to manager Dave Roberts.
MLB World Series champions the Dodgers have been without 2019 National League (NL) MVP Bellinger since April 5 after he suffered a lower leg injury, which was initially described as a bruised calf.
Roberts provided an update on Bellinger – a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award winner – and his fitness on Tuesday.
"[He is] trending in the right direction," Roberts told reporters prior to the Dodgers' clash with the Cincinnati Reds.
"He's doing great. Once that fracture heals, coinciding with the live at-bats, hopefully we can hit the ground running when he's healed."
Two-time All-Star Bellinger is hitting .211 (four-for-19) with two RBIs in four games this season.
The Dodgers have lost back-to-back games following Monday's defeat to the Cincinnati Reds.
The season series between the Dodgers and Reds has shifted dramatically in recent MLB seasons.
Per Stats Perform, the Dodgers claimed all six meetings in 2017, the Reds took six of seven one year later, while Los Angeles clinched five of six in 2019.
San Diego Padres manager Jayce Tingler insisted Fernando Tatis Jr. was "100 per cent" not peeking at signs as he labelled the allegations "ridiculous".
Los Angeles Dodgers ace Trevor Bauer warned Tatis about allegedly peeking at signs after the latter homered twice off the 2020 American League (AL) Cy Young Award winner on Saturday.
The Padres lost 5-4, but a moment in Tatis' at-bat in the sixth inning caught the attention of the Dodgers after the 2020 Silver Slugger appeared to peek at catcher Will Smith's sign before the pitch.
Responding to the claims, Tingler told reporters on Tuesday: "I think it's ridiculous.
"I know 100 per cent he [Tatis] wasn't peeking at signs."
As the National League (NL) West rivalry dominates MLB, Bauer said in a video published via his YouTube channel on Sunday: "That's the type of stuff that would get you hit in other games.
"Now, I'm mild mannered about it. Flip the bat, do all that stuff, fine. If you're going to look at the signs, not OK, and if you do it again, the team that you're playing probably isn't going to take too kindly, and there might have to be some on-field stuff.
"That is disrespecting your opponent, look at their signs, stuff like that. Whereas the bat flips and celebrating with your team-mates is fine, in my opinion."
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also addressed the incident prior to Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Padres, telling reporters: "When you talk about peeking, that's just not the way you play baseball.
"If that is the case, which I don't know, that'll be noted."
After that epic marathon win against World Series champions the Dodgers, Eric Hosmer defended Padres team-mate Tatis.
"That was maybe a little bit of confusion on their part," Hosmer said. "I don't think Tati was looking at signs. I've never really seen him do that. I certainly didn’t see it last night."
Worried about football's global appeal to the younger generation? Fearful the Champions League has lost its lustre beyond the core of 'legacy' (urgh!) fans in its traditional markets?
Perhaps what you need is a dazzlingly skilful 22-year-old becoming the first player from the United States to score in the semi-finals of Europe's top competition, while generally wreaking havoc every time he has the ball.
Florentino Perez must have loved Christian Pulisic taking his Real Madrid apart. The Chelsea forward made the 13-time winners of the competition Perez sought to torpedo last week look more non-league than Super League.
Pulisic was at the heart of an utterly dominant opening for Chelsea – themselves foolhardy signatories to the not-so-brave new world last week – nodding down for his beleaguered attacking colleague Timo Werner to volley too close to Thibaut Courtois between the Madrid posts.
Shortly afterwards, Pulisic took matters into his own hands, darting across a static Los Blancos backline to collect Antonio Rudiger's raking pass. His first touch was poor, but everything else from that point was perfection.
Madrid's defenders scattered and then cowered towards their goalmouth. Werner found himself demoted from strike partner to spectator at The Christian Pulisic Show. The American rounded Courtois and took aim high into the net.
Just after that, Nacho should have been booked for bringing down the goalscorer, with Eder Militao having also escaped censure for clobbering through the same player. Pulisic was everywhere.
If Perez was worried about addled young minds missing all this, no problem. It all happened inside the first 15 minutes. Plenty of time to watch, absorb, enjoy and then stick Fortnite on.
Amid his compilation of violent brain vomits last week, Perez suggested football matches should be shorter to appeal to fans more than 50 years his junior – a demographic with whom he appears to feel he is completely in tune.
Of course, it's an awful idea. And it is hard to think of many teams who would suffer more in a world of fast food football than the aging Real Madrid team he no longer has the bank balance to reupholster.
Zinedine Zidane opted to match Chelsea's shape, only to find a reinforced five-man backline somehow riddled with holes as Pulisic and Werner made merry early on.
Much is made of the esteemed midfield trio of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric having a combined age of 95. As N'Golo Kante jackhammered around them, each one of them looked about 95.
Collectively, they needed 20 minutes or so to click into gear. Even then, they negotiated the rain-lashed terrain of Valdebebas tentatively.
The one exception was Karim Benzema, Madrid's talismanic centre-forward who nodded and licked his lips with menace during the pre-game anthem, before basically playing Chelsea on his own for a good while.
At a time when Madrid's superstars have moved on from either the club or their peak playing days, Benzema stands tall week after week.
Against the run of play, he had his 71st Champions League goal, drawing level with Madrid great Raul in fourth on the all-time list. Inside a crowded penalty area, he controlled the ball with his forehead before swivelling to detonate an unstoppable volley.
Benzema's goal was one that beautifully combined the cerebral and the visceral and would have been at home in any of Madrid's previous great eras in this competition, eras that are connected to the present by such moments of brilliance.
Goals like Benzema's shimmer brighter through their link to past context. A great Real Madrid goal in a European Cup semi-final really means something.
From that moment, Chelsea's more nimble operators became engaged in an arm wrestle that was more to Madrid's liking. Even when Thomas Tuchel introduced Kai Havertz, Reece James and Hakim Ziyech in a triple change after the hour, the hosts remained upright on weary limbs.
Having seen his team be so inept in the initial exchanges, Zidane was able to play with Chelsea's tensions and emotions by sending on Eden Hazard.
It remained 1-1, a result most teams would be delighted to take into a home second leg. But Madrid do funny things in this tournament. They defy logic to find reserves that should have long run dry. They are propelled by purpose and history.
Above all the others, simply wanting to take his team away from the Champions League might have been Florentino Perez's most stupid idea of all.
Jamaica gymnast Danusia Francis believes the option of allowing full-length bodysuits to be worn in competition will empower the sport’s female athletes.
Last week, German gymnast Sarah Voss grabbed headlines after wearing a full-body suit at the European Gymnastic Championships. She was later joined in wearing the type of outfit at the event by two teammates. Voss described a part of the motive as taking a stand against ‘sexualisation in gymnastics’ an issue that has come to the fore in recent years following the conviction of former USA national team doctor, Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to 175 years in prison for several counts of sexual abuse two years ago.
Typically, female athletes compete in leotards, however, the international gymnastics federation (FIG) rules state that competitors are allowed to wear a "one-piece leotard with full-length legs - hip to ankle", provided it is of elegant design.
Francis admitted that she did not know the uniforms were allowed but was pleased with the choice that is offered.
"I think it's amazing," Francis told BBC.
"I feel empowered that we've got this option where we can choose to cover up," she added.
Francis also believes the ability of female athletes to speak out on issues that affect them is in part due to people staying in the sport for longer.
"I think as people are staying the sport longer, obviously they're not young girls and they've got voices, they are women, so to see them making a statement, and on an international stage... I think it was great to see," Francis said.
Former Indian cricketer, Pragyan Ojha, believes the Punjab Kings XI are heaping unnecessary pressure onto batsmen Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran, due to the team's approach to structuring its innings.
Pooran has struggled to make an impact in six matches so far this season, managing just a high score of 19 and failing to score on three occasions. Gayle has had more of a mixed performance, scoring 40 plus on two occasions but also had a series of low scores, including a golden duck in the team’s last encounter against Kolkata Knightriders.
Ojha, however, believes that the team’s top two KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal might be thinking about scoring too quickly and posting too big a target too early in the innings.
"They should think about 160-170 at first. But if you start thinking from the beginning that we have a very good batting line-up with Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran and we should aim 180-190 then you are putting undue pressure on (them),” Ojha told Cricbuzz.
"You can only think about a big score once you have got a good start. So you have to change your plans accordingly. You can't think that you have big names and they will always score runs. You have the look at the kind of form they are in too. Can't plan based on past glory," Ojha added.
Alexander Bublik's status as the Estoril Open's fifth seed meant little to Pedro Martinez as the Spaniard romped to victory.
Qualifier Martinez needed just 53 minutes to see off a player ranked 57 spots above him, triumphing 6-3 6-0 to reach the second round.
He will now face Cameron Norrie, a 6-1 6-3 winner over home hope Joao Sousa in Portugal.
Marin Cilic, himself seeded sixth, might have feared going the same way as Bublik after a chastening second set against 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz.
But the Croatian held his nerve and got the job done in a 6-3 1-6 6-4 success.
Finally, fellow seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas was relatively untroubled in overcoming compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-3 in an all-Spanish clash.
At the BMW Open, Jan-Lennard Struff secured safe passage to the second round on home soil in Munich.
The German saw off lucky loser Andrej Martin 6-4 6-3 and the seventh seed now face Dominik Koepfer, who downed three-time champion Philipp Kohlschreiber 4-6 6-4 6-3.
Elsewhere in the draw, Nikoloz Basilashvili, seeded fifth, defeated Thiago Monteiro, while the sixth-seeded Dusan Lajovic suffered a straight-sets loss to world number 127 Mackenzie McDonald.
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