Bublik reaches Hangzhou final, joins Alcaraz, Sinner, Zverev on elite list
Alexander Bublik joined Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev as the only men to advance to tour-level finals on all three surfaces this season on Monday at the Lynk & Co Hangzhou Open, where he defeated Chinese wild card Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-3.
Bublik won titles on clay in Gstaad and Kitzbuhel in July and captured a crown on grass in Halle in June. Now at the ATP 250 hard-court event in Hangzhou, the third seed has looked impressive. In a dominant performance against Wu, Bublik fired 19 aces past the home favourite to reach the championship match after 61 minutes.
“I was expecting a tough battle. Clearly he was a little tired from yesterday. It is never easy to play someone from a specific region at home,” Bublik said. “I am happy I stayed strong and didn’t give him many chances.”
Wu upset Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals in Hangzhou but struggled to deal with Bublik’s big game in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. Bublik is 30-17 on the season and is on course for a career-best season, having earned a previous 35 wins in 2021, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Bublik is searching for his third title in his past four tournaments, with his only defeat in this run coming against then-World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the fourth round at the US Open.
Bublik is up three spots to 12th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and will look to finish the season strongly in a bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. He will meet French qualifier Valentin Royer in the championship match on Tuesday.
Royer continued his breakthrough week with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph against countryman Corentin Moutet. The 24-year-old was competing in his first tour-level semi-final and is the fourth qualifier to reach an ATP Tour final this year.
Royer struck 15 winners and committed 13 unforced errors against Moutet and dealt with the lefty’s court craft to seal victory in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. Royer is up 13 places to No. 75 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will rise to a career-high on Wednesday.
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