In a stunning turn of events at the French Open, 27-year-old Kazakh tennis player Alexander Bublik, currently ranked world No. 62, achieved a remarkable comeback against Australia’s Alex de Minaur. Bublik pulled off a remarkable upset, coming back from two sets down to win. He won the match 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, producing arguably the tournament’s biggest upset in the process. This hard-fought victory ensured Bublik’s safe passage into the Round of 16. It dealt a big psychological hit to de Minaur, who had been approaching his finest clay-court season.
The historic match played out at such an incredible venue – Roland Garros. Bublik’s cavalier playing style and quirky approach to tennis were integral to his success. Even still, Bublik was exceptionally strike-happy over the course of the contest, ripping a whopping 51 cross-court backhand winners and 12 aces. He turned the match around at short notice after dropping the first two sets. No wonder his performance changed so drastically as a result.
Bublik had played de Minaur three times prior, and unsurprisingly, lost all of his matches. He didn’t even manage to win a single set in any of those matches. Yet in this match, he displayed a remarkable knack for answering the call while facing adversity properly. Bublik hit this jaw-dropping tweener at a key moment in the third set. What did he do next, you ask? Follow it up with a beautiful backhand rocket up the line, of course. And yet, this flash of artistry illustrated what made him such an erratic figure on the floor.
Bublik had a tough start, and he didn’t allow things to get him down. He closed out the third set with an audacious forehand winner, propelling his comeback charge. After that, he just had the edge over de Minaur and won the fourth and fifth sets comfortably. The change in energy was undeniable as Bublik’s confidence grew in tandem with de Minaur’s mounting frustration.
James Duckworth, who had faced Bublik in a previous match and predicted de Minaur would win, acknowledged the challenges in returning Bublik’s serve.
“Well, he’s got one of the best return of serves in the world and he’s lighting quick, so he’s going to get to a lot more drop shots than I did,” – James Duckworth.
Duckworth pointed out that de Minaur typically wins points from well behind the baseline. Booming Bublik’s unorthodox one-handed style requires him to find perfect lines to not go home early from tournaments.
“Then from the back, Demon wins most of the points. The weather’s not overly hot, it’s not playing particularly quick, so Bublik’s gonna have to hit lines to win,” – James Duckworth.
Bublik’s frequent use of drop shots throughout the match initially seemed ineffective against de Minaur’s speed. But then throughout the match, Bublik started to change his strategy and started to hit his shots to the right places. Duckworth remarked on Bublik’s unpredictability.
“Well, it is unpredictable. Like you’ve got to be ready for everything,” – James Duckworth.
Following his win, Bublik went a long way down in bow to express gratitude for the crowd’s energy. We thrilled to see him such high honor to such a public stage. Her match is a better reminder to us that in tennis, composure and creativity always have the potential to outsmart the biggest of stars.
