In a stunning upset at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, Alexander Bublik delivered the biggest win of his career, defeating World No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals. The Kazakhstani unleashed a relentless barrage of 36 winners, including 15 aces, to overpower the top seed in a two-hour, four-minute thriller.
“We are tennis players, and we try to win every match we play, but this is a special one,” said Bublik, celebrating his first-ever victory over a World No. 1. “It is an accomplishment.”
Bublik, who fell to Sinner in the Roland Garros quarter-finals earlier this month, turned the tables in spectacular fashion at this ATP 500 grass-court event. His aggressive playstyle overwhelmed Sinner, marking the Italian’s first loss to a player outside the Top 20 since August 2023, ending a 66-match winning streak against such opponents. This defeat also snapped Sinner’s streak of reaching finals, his first non-final finish since Montreal last year.
Sinner, fresh off a grueling five-hour, 29-minute Roland Garros final loss to Carlos Alcaraz, started strongly, dominating the first set without facing a break point. However, Bublik shifted the momentum in the second set, saving three break points in his opening service game and securing a crucial break in the sixth game with a pinpoint backhand return that forced a Sinner error. Bublik’s 20 winners in the second set alone leveled the match, and he carried that momentum into the decider.
In the third set, Bublik’s aggression peaked with a scorching forehand passing shot to break Sinner’s serve. He sealed the victory with a confident smash, showcasing his flair and composure. “I had an amazing forehand to break in the third set, and then I kept serving,” Bublik said. “On grass, if you lose your serve, it’s tough, and I’m a guy who doesn’t lose a lot of serves. I kept putting him in uncomfortable positions, and it worked well.”
Bublik’s victory marks his fourth Top 10 win and strengthens his connection to Halle, where he won the biggest title of his career in 2023. The World No. 45 now faces seventh seed Tomas Machac in the quarter-finals, following Machac’s 6-2, 6-3 win over Fabian Marozsan.
Bublik brilliance 🔥
The 2023 champ manages to overcome the defending champ Sinner with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 win…@ATPHalle | #ATPHalle pic.twitter.com/a121ZCO4Wv
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 19, 2025
Elsewhere, second seed Alexander Zverev battled past Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) in a two-hour, 25-minute clash, becoming the sixth player in tournament history to record 20 wins at Halle. Despite landing 90 percent of his first serves, Zverev struggled to break Sonego’s serve but prevailed in a deciding-set tie-break to reach the quarter-finals for the sixth time. He will next face Flavio Cobolli, who edged Denis Shapovalov 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(5) in another thrilling tie-break battle.
In other results, Tomas Martin Etcheverry stunned fourth seed Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(6), saving two match points to reach his first tour-level grass-court quarter-final. Etcheverry will take on eighth seed Karen Khachanov, who defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
Bublik’s fearless performance against Sinner sets the stage for an exciting quarter-final round in Halle, as the Kazakhstani chases his fifth tour-level title.