Vacherot, Bublik wins among biggest ATP Tour upsets of 2025
To mark the end of another thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. Today we highlight five standout ATP Tour upsets (not including Grand Slams) from this season.
Shocks are part of the ATP Tour’s DNA, but every season brings a handful that reshape the storylines of the year.
In 2025, there were upsets that shifted momentum, launched careers and, at times, left stadiums stunned into silence. Here, ATPTour.com counts down the five most surprising ATP Tour upsets of the year.
[ATP AWARDS]5) Halle, R2: Bublik d. Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Only twice in 2025 did Jannik Sinner fall before the final of an event, and one of those rare stumbles came courtesy of an inspired Alexander Bublik on the slick lawns at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.
Just two weeks after winning only six games in a humbling loss to then-World No. 1 Sinner at Roland Garros, Bublik returned with his unpredictable magic dialled all the way up. On a surface made for his improvisation, the Kazakhstani lit up the ATP 500 event with 36 winners and a fearless mix of touch and power, earning his first victory over a No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings and snapping Sinner’s 66-match winning streak against players outside the Top 20.
“We are tennis players and we try to win every match we play but it is a special one,” Bublik said after toppling the defending Halle champion. “I had never beaten a No. 1 in the world. It is an accomplishment. I kept serving. I tried to be clutch. He is an unbelievable player and I was not thinking that I could beat him.”
Bublik carried that momentum all the way to the Halle title — his first trophy of a four-title, career-best season that eventually lifted him to a career-high World No. 11. Sinner, meanwhile, rebounded in true champion fashion, turning the disappointment into fuel for his maiden Wimbledon triumph three weeks later.
4) Cincinnati R4: Atmane d. Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
Terence Atmane arrived at the Cincinnati Open with a 1-4 tour-level record for the season and left as one of its breakout surprises. Competing as the World No. 136, the French qualifier stunned fourth seed and home favourite Taylor Fritz — one of the ATP Tour’s hottest players over the summer — to reach his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.
Against a fully in-form Fritz, who had piled up a Tour-leading 13 grass-court wins and reached the Toronto semi-finals the week prior, Atmane refused to be intimidated. He matched the American’s heavy serving blow for blow, firing 13 aces and winning 82 per cent of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Atmane’s disbelief was evident as he tossed his racquet skyward after striking a drive-volley winner to seal the biggest win of his career. In the quarter-finals, the 23-year-old downed his second Top 10 player of the week, Holger Rune, before falling to Sinner in the last four.
“What a week. What a week, I have to say,” said Atmane, who cracked the Top 100 for the first time. “I’m so happy that finally my work is paying off. But as I said with my coach, this is just a tournament and I need to repeat this kind of level every single week on a daily basis to be at their spot.”
3) Indian Wells R2: Van de Zandschulp d. Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
Some players hope for draws that help them settle in; Botic van de Zandschulp is becoming someone who seems to prefer the opposite. Already known for toppling Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open, the Dutchman added another giant to his list by defeating five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic at the BNP Paribas Open.
Entering the main draw as a lucky loser, Van de Zandschulp took full advantage. After an uncharacteristically error-strewn opening set, Djokovic began to rediscover his rhythm, but the Dutchman weathered the storm with exceptional scrambling and timely aggression. His decisive break for 3-1 in the final set — in which he hit two exceptional winners — proved the turning point as he closed out a composed win to level their Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 1-1.
“When I reflect on this match, obviously I’ll see a little bit more about what I could have done more, but… he played some really good points to break my serve,” Djokovic admitted. “But just putting myself in that position, I shouldn’t allow myself to do that.”
It was Van de Zandschulp’s first set of back-to-back victories all season, and his eighth career victory over a Top 10 player. It simultaneously handed Djokovic his first three-match losing streak since 2018.
2) Miami R2: Goffin d. Alcaraz 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
David Goffin’s career has always carried a quiet danger. Even when struggling, he can summon the vintage form that he once used against Roger Federer en route to the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals title match.
At the Miami Open presented by Itau, that version of the Belgian reappeared — and Alcaraz was the one caught in the crossfire. After opening the season with five consecutive tour-level defeats, Goffin had rediscovered some traction with a confidence-boosting win over Ben Shelton in Acapulco.
But against Alcaraz, under the Miami lights, he unearthed the ruthlessness and timing that once made him the World No. 7. The 34-year-old absorbed the Spaniard’s shotmaking and countered with flurries of clean, biting winners to complete a stunning comeback — his third straight victory over a Top 3 player.
“It feels amazing. Sometimes some matches are tough and you have to fight, and you’re happy to have a second round like that in a stadium,” said Goffin. “That’s why I continue to play tennis, to have that kind of match in a stadium, to play some good tennis. [I was] just trying to enjoy the moment.”
1) Shanghai SF: Vacherot d. Djokovic 6-3, 6-4
Valentin Vacherot’s breakthrough at the Rolex Shanghai Masters marked the arrival of a new contender, and record four-time champion Djokovic himself was powerless to resist it.
The World No. 204, who came through qualifying, saved his most complete performance of a fairytale week for the semi-finals, where he delivered a calm, clinical upset over the Serbian. Despite Djokovic showing clear physical struggles, Vacherot stayed locked in, dictating rallies with rock-solid baseline hitting and laser-sharp serving to claim the biggest win of his career.
It was the continuation of a dream run, which he completed by defeating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final to become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history. Prior to Shanghai, the Monegasque breakout star had just one ATP Tour win to his name, but now he was an ATP Tour winner and Top 50 player.
“This is just crazy. First of all, to just be on the other side of the court [from Novak] was an unbelievable experience,” said Vacherot, who catapulted 164 spots to No. 40 in the PIF ATP Rankings following his run. “I think I’ve got so much to learn from this match, from him. Even for myself, I’ve got a lot to keep.
“It was an hour and 40 minutes of pure joy, even though not many people wanted me to keep going. He’s really appreciated here. He has won four times. I got a bit lost in all his titles when they were announcing him, but it was an unreal experience.”