Kazakh Alexander Bublik beat Andrej Rublev in the final in Halle, Westphalia. The 26-year-old crowns what is probably his best and most consistent week on the ATP tour.
This time the genius prevailed: Alexander Bublik secured the title at the 500 tournament in Halle, Westphalia, on Sunday (June 25, 2023). With a well deserved 6:3; He won 3: 6, 6: 3 against Andrey Rublev, the current number seven in the world, on the grass court heated up by the sun to well over 30 degrees.
The Kazakh is currently number 48 on the ATP World Tour and will climb to 26th in the world rankings after this success. It is the Kazakh’s second tournament win. “I’ve done a lot lately to achieve that. It’s crazy,” said the tournament winner with a big smile on his face.
Bublik shone again with his serve, which hardly gave the Russian a chance to return on the other side. He also showed – like the day before against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals – his special knack for stop balls. He played so varied that after 15 minutes he was 4:1 in the lead.
Freaks included
After 27 minutes, Bublik took the chance to win the first set 6:3. The 26-year-old was able to start the second round against Rublev in a relaxed manner.
But he can also be completely different: it wasn’t that long ago that Bublik showed his different face. Then the “madness” sought its space. At the ATP tournament in Montpellier last February, the 1.96 meter man went crazy. When the score was 6-0 in the decisive tiebreak against Gregoire Barrere, he destroyed three racquets within 20 seconds out of anger and desperation.
Full concentration on sentence three
Whenever the highly talented Bublik cannot show his extraordinary skills over an entire match at a high level, he is in danger of losing his nerve. He is famous and notorious on the tour for his special talent, but also for his inconsistency. And for his attitude. At the beginning of his career, he once gave the reason why he travels the world as a professional: “I hate tennis. I only play for the money.”
It became increasingly dangerous against Rublev in the second set. Bublik lost his serve for the first time and lost 3:6. He didn’t smash bats this time, but rather concentrated fully on the third round. He had gained enough self-confidence from the tournament this week. And that should pay off.
Bublik took an early 3-0 lead after immediately breaking Rublev. He then didn’t let this advantage be taken away and secured the third set 6:3 – and with it the match and the tournament victory.