On Sunday, Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan achieved a unique feat in ATP Tour history by becoming the first player to win a tournament after losing the first set in each of his matches. Seeded No. 2, Bublik staged another comeback by defeating Croatia’s Borna Coric, the fourth seed, with a scoreline of 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 in the finals of the Open Sud de France held in Montpellier. The 24-year-old Bublik showcased a combination of formidable power and a repertoire of skillful shots, keeping the three-time Grand Slam champion off balance. Additionally, he recorded more aces and fewer double faults (16 to 10) than Coric.
The winner of the ATP 250 title will rise to a career-high No. 23 in the rankings. Bublik has four tour titles in his brief career, and this one will be lovely.
Bublik lost the first set in a tiebreaker and a tiebreaker again in the second set before returning to a match point in the ninth game of the final. At 4-3, the Kazakh served, and Coric’s miscue on a backhand set him up with a breakpoint. On the next point, Bublik hit an extended return deep in the court to put the Croatian on the back foot, then crushed a half volley to elicit an easy putaway. It was enough to give Bublik the title and a record-tying fourth title of his career.
The final took just two hours and nine minutes. Bublik has struggled to find his feet on the ATP Tour, but he showed he is more than a talented trickster. He reached his first final on grass in Newport in 2019, losing to Roberto Carreno Busta in a deciding-set tiebreak, and then won titles in Chengu and Singapore the following year. He then won his first Challenger in Antalya last month.
In the other semifinal, No. 5 seed Holger Rune of Denmark cruised past Argentina’s Federico Delbonis 6-1, 6-3 to reach his third straight semi. Rune saved a break point in the second set and had a 6-1 edge in aces, winning seven of his 12 breakpoints.
Bublik will face Coric in his second final in Montpellier, where he won in 2022 at the indoor hard-court ATP 250. Coric will be looking to earn his first title of the season, having reached the final in the event last year and finished runner-up to Bublik in Cincinnati a few weeks ago.
It’s the second time in three events that Bublik has defeated a top-10 opponent in an ATP final. The 24-year-old also beat then world No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the final in Montpellier last year. The final will be the second in a row for Bublik in the Montpellier final. He also made the semifinals in the same event in 2022, where he beat world No. 19 Roberto Bautista Agut.