HALLE WESTFALEN: Kazakh Alexander Bublik achieved his first win in seven meetings with Russian Daniil Medvedev to claim his second title on the grass of Halle, a week before Wimbledon.

Bublik, ranked 45, claimed the scalp of world number one Jannik Sinner in the second round.

The 28-year-old maintained his streak with a 6-3, 7-6(4), victory in one hour and 22 minutes in his first clash on grass with third seed Medvedev.

Thanks to his second Halle trophy after 2023 and fifth ATP title overall, Bublik will move to 30th in Monday’s ATP rankings, while Medvedev, who was playing in his first final in 15 months, will move to number nine.

“I was cursed against you, Daniil. But today, I’m happy to have won. Beating you here is a great honour for me,” Bublik said during the trophy presentation.

In the first set, Bublik broke his opponent’s serve to lead 5-3 and won the set on his serve.

The Kazakh saved Medvedev’s only break point, also a set point, at 4-5 in the second set, with a perfectly hit drop shot.

He wrapped up the match in the tie-break with a service winner.

“From the mental point of view, that’s the toughest match I ever played in my life,” said Bublik.

“I have never beaten Daniil. He’s a super tough player to play, especially with my game style, and today everything clicked in mentally and physically.

“I had such tough months since last Wimbledon to probably this summer,” said Bublik, who had dropped out of the top 75 until last month and conceded he was “close to calling it quits after Wimbledon (last year), because I was not enjoying it anymore”.

Bublik also won titles in Montpellier in 2022 and 2024 and Antwerp and Halle in 2023.

“Alexander Bublik played some great grass court play today. My heart always beats a little faster when you play like that on grass,” said 57-year-old German Boris Becker, a three-time Wimbledon champion (1985, 1986, 1989), before presenting the trophy.

A former world number one in 2022, Medvedev lost his sixth consecutive final, his 20th and last title was the Masters 1000 on clay in Rome in May 2023.

“Keep playing like that, and please, Carlos (Alcaraz) or Jannik in your draw at Wimbledon,” joked former US Open winner Medvedev, a two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2025