Alexander Bublik stuns Andrey Rublev to win Halle Open
Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik returns the ball to Russia's Andrey Rublev during their final match at the German Tennis Open, in Halle, Sunday, June 25, 2023. Credit: AP/Friso Gentsch
HALLE, Germany — Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik upset Andrey Rublev 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the final of the Halle Open on Sunday ahead of Wimbledon.
Bublik, who had won eight of 27 matches all year before this week, played a risky style that paid off with 42 winners — third-seeded Rublev had 23 — along with 21 aces.
“It really means the world to me,” Bublik said. “I’ve been struggling for half a year ... I don’t take it for granted. It was hard work."
It's the second title of Bublik's career after he won in Montpellier last year with the player improving to a 2-6 record in tour-level finals, and his first win on grass after twice being runner-up in Newport. He rises to a career-high 26th in the rankings after starting the week 48th.
Rublev drops to 13-8 in finals. The Russian is now a two-time Halle runner-up after losing to Ugo Humbert in the 2021 final.
The seventh-ranked Rublev is set to return to Wimbledon next month after missing last year's edition of the grass-court Grand Slam event when Russian and Belarusian players were barred following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
