Halle: Bublik upsets Rublev to take the title

Alexander Bublik capped a superb week in Germany by defeating Andrey Rublev 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the final of Halle to earn the biggest title of his career.

Justifiably viewed as one the game’s great entertainers, the mercurial Kazakh is often overlooked as a genuine title contender. But his success at Halle this week has shown that Bublik is more than just a maverick, as he coupled his usual flamboyancy with a steely show of resolve to get over the line in a tough encounter against a very talented opponent.

Bublik rises to the occasion at Halle Open

The Kazakh showed few signs of nerves as he got off to a quick start, racing into a 4-1 lead that Rublev could not recover from, despite steadying the ship towards the end of that first set.

It was a different story in the second set, however, as Rublev demonstrated his trademark aggression on the attack, taking the only break of the set to ensure the final got the deciding set that it deserved.

One would have been forgiven for thinking that the Kazakh had lost his chance, as the more experienced Russian appeared to have the momentum with him.

But Bublik once again surprised a delighted crowd on finals day, gaining an instant break at the start of the decider – one that ultimately proved the decisive blow against a Rublev who was far too profligate with his break point opportunities, only taking one of the four he was able to generate.

Excellent week for Alexander Bublik

It was been a wonderful week for Bublik, who has endured yet another season of inconsistency and had lost his only two previous grass-court finals.

Bublik, ranked No. 48 in the world, put together a run of results fit for a champion as he beat Borna Coric and Jan-Lennard Struff, before taking out Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev en route to the final.

But the Kazakh was not satisfied with reaching the showpiece event in Halle, as he continued his fine form to clinch the title, overcoming Rublev with a display of clean shot-making and frequent forays to the net.

“It really means the world to me,” said Bublik during his on-court interview.

“I’ve been struggling for half a year and now having this a reward, I don’t take it for granted.

“It was hard work. I was walking through the little hall of fame here before entering the court for the very first time against Struff [in the second round], and I was like ‘Wow, the different names, a lot of guys I’m familiar with. That would be nice maybe to have it one day’.”

It is a real statement from Bublik, who evidently has the game to compete with the world’s best – especially on grass. His temperament has always been the biggest question mark for the inimitable Kazakh, but this win clearly demonstrated that – when needed – Bublik can dial in and produce brilliant tennis in the most important moments of his career.

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