Bublik triumphs at Hong Kong Open, set to enter ATP top ten for the first time

Alexander Bublik secured his ninth ATP Tour championship on Sunday by beating Lorenzo Musetti at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, marking his fifth title since June of last year. Musetti experienced his seventh straight defeat in a tour final.

As the tournament's second seed, Bublik calmly handled Musetti’s varied shots, applying pressure with strong baseline play to the Italian, ultimately winning 7-6(2), 6-3. This victory will propel Bublik into the ATP top ten for the first time in the PIF ATP rankings released Monday, making him the first male player from Kazakhstan to reach this milestone.

“My sole goal this season was to break into the top ten, and I achieved that by winning the title in the very first week of the new season,” Bublik said. “If someone had told me last April that I would have these results today, I wouldn’t have believed it. I’m extremely happy now and hope to keep this momentum going.”

Bublik showed impressive form in the latter half of last season, winning four tournaments in Halle, Gstaad, Kitzbühel, and Hangzhou consecutively. Entering the new season, the 28-year-old has maintained his strong performance, losing only one set on his way to the title at this ATP 250 event.

Musetti aimed to claim his first tour title since Naples 2022. However, the 23-year-old Italian fell short again in the final, bringing his tour final record to 2 wins and 7 losses. In contrast, Bublik’s record in tour finals stands at 9 wins and 7 losses.

Despite missing out on the championship, Musetti will break into the ATP top five for the first time on Monday, becoming the third Italian player after Jannik Sinner and Adriano Panatta to reach the top five, surpassing Berrettini’s previous highest ranking of sixth.

The first set was tightly contested. At 2-2 in the tiebreak, Bublik hit a brilliant backhand winner to seize control, then won four consecutive points to take the set. In the second set, although Bublik briefly lost a break advantage, he quickly regained composure and closed out the match. This updates their head-to-head on the Lexus ATP tour to 3-1 in favor of Bublik.

Bublik is a remarkably talented player. We look forward to seeing more great results from him in the 2026 season.

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