Alexander Bublik Defeats Daniil Medvedev to Win 2nd Halle Title

Alexander Bublik is champion in Halle once again after defeating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (4) for his first ATP Tour title in 2025.

The victory marks Bublik's first win over Medvedev after six consecutive losses. Bublik, who won the championship in 2023, is the third player after Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Roger Federer to win the title more than once.

"Having made the quarters of French following up with Halle victory again, that's beyond my wildest expectations of what I could achieve in a short period of time," Bublik said in his post-match press conference. "It's just a big renaissance of my career."

The Kazakh was in red-hot form throughout the entirety of the tournament, taking out World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a three-set thriller before dispatching Tomas Machac and Karen Khachanov en route to the final.

Bublik stayed calm under pressure, only needing one break to take the first set against Medvedev. He went on a 12-point win streak at 3-3 to take the last three games of the set, breaking Medvedev at love and finishing off with a strong service hold.

The second set was trickier. Both men held their serve, although they had to fight for each game as several went to deuce. Bublik's dynamic style of play proved to be the difference as he took more chances to hit drop shots and play better angles on his volleys while at the net.

Medvedev took the early lead in the second set tiebreaker, a mini-breaking giving him a 4-1 lead. However, Bublik wasn't one to be discouraged, winning the next six points with well-timed touches and a wide serve to finish off the match.

"He's better than me in most of the things he's doing on court." Bublik said.

"I had few tools that I need to execute well in the right moment. Obviously, the mindset and mentality going into the match. I've lost six or seven times, and if I would do the same thing, I should not wait for other outcomes. I have to change, and I did, and it worked."

It wasn't an easy road to the title for Bublik. The latter half of the 2024 season saw Bublik plummet in the rankings after his third-round loss to Tommy Paul at Wimbledon. He went on to lose nine of his 11 matches after the Paris Olympics, dropping from a career-high ranking of 17 to 33.

"I had such a tough months since last Wimbledon til probably this summer," Bublik admitted in an on-court interview.

"I was close to calling it quits after Wimbledon because I was not enjoying it anymore. I promised my coach that I stay there, that I will keep practicing, and after Wimbledon, we'll make a decision if I need to take a couple of months off before trying to come back."

Bublik is quietly shaping up to be one of the dark horses to watch at Wimbledon this year. Now ranked World No. 30, he will avoid playing top-ranked players until the later rounds, placed in a position where he is expected to make the later rounds rather than cause upsets as an underdog.

It's a position he's been in before as the 23rd seed at Wimbledon last year. Time will tell whether history repeats itself this year. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all your tennis news from the court and beyond.

More Tennis News

Carlos Alcaraz wins Queen's Club title; eyes Wimbledon three-peat.

Emma Raducanu dodges equal pay debate: "I'm never really going to take a stand".

Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz show chemistry in viral video.

Jack Draper reacts to Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz teaming up for mixed doubles.

Jannik Sinner upset by Alexander Bublik in a three-set thriller.