Alexander Bublik stuns Andrey Rublev to win Halle Open

By Associated Press

HALLE: 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.”

pic.twitter.com/C4u99IekV4

— Alexander Bublik (@Bublik_Fan) June 25, 2023

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.

<br /> HALLE: 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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>“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.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>pic.twitter.com/C4u99IekV4<br /> — Alexander Bublik (@Bublik_Fan) June 25, 2023<br /> 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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.<br />