Suddenly, Alexander Bublik cannot be stopped.
Coming off an improbable French Open quarterfinal run, Bublik was right at home on his grass-court stomping grounds of Halle and won the Terra Wortmann Open for the second time in his career on Sunday. The 27-year-old Kazakh maintained momentum from a second-round upset of Jannik Sinner by defeating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(4) in the final.
“It’s tough to speak,” Bublik said during the trophy ceremony. “I had such tough months since last Wimbledon to probably this summer. I was close to calling it quits after Wimbledon, because I was not enjoying it anymore.
“I promised my coach that I would stay there and keep practicing, and after Wimbledon we will make a decision about whether I need to take a couple of months off before trying to come back. Now this is happening. I don’t know. Quarters at the French, winner here. I have no words.”
At the HSBC Championships, Carlos Alcaraz lifted the trophy for the second time after first winning it in 2023–the exact same trend that Bublik has enjoyed in Halle. Alcaraz fended off Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2 in Sunday’s title match.
“This tournament is really special to me,” the Spaniard assured. “I’m just happy to lift the trophy once again. I came without expectation, just to play good tennis and get used to the grass. I [was lucky] to have a lot of friends and family here that made me feel really comfortable on and off the court.”
“It’s tough for me to find the words now, but I’m super happy that I had the chance to fight for the title today,” Lehecka said. “Well done to Carlos and your team for doing a great job. I gave everything I had today and unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”
Alcaraz and Lehecka now have a week off before suiting up for Wimbledon. Bublik, who secured a seed at the All-England Club thanks to his performance in Halle, is still on the Eastbourne entry list.
nice one, Bub
A few glasses of Bubbly tonight, and pull out of Eastbourne tomorrow