Alexander Bublik does it again: Two straight clay titles with Kitzbuhel crown

Alexander Bublik has done it again, winning his second consecutive clay-court title at the Kitzbühel Open, defeating Arthur Cazaux in the final. The Kazakh continues to be in impeccable form, proving it once more with a notable final performance to secure a 6-4, 6-3 victory and his third title of the season.

There have been few doubts about Bublik's talent for years. He spent several years in the top 50 but always struggled to maintain consistency. He reached his career-high ranking of No. 17 in 2023, but in 2024, he started having inconsistent results, partly due to injuries, which caused a drop in his ranking. Until early March, he wasn't even in the top 80.

However, Bublik seems to have rediscovered his level and his love for tennis. Who would have predicted years ago that he could show his best level on clay courts? After years of disdaining the surface, Bublik secured his second consecutive clay title, achieving the Gstaad – Kitzbühel double.

This week, he didn't concede a single set, defeating Thiago Agustin Tirante, Alexander Shevchenko, Botic van de Zandschulp, and this time, Cazaux in the final.

The world No. 30 re-encountered Cazaux – whom he had defeated a week earlier in the semifinals of Kitzbühel, a tournament that precisely ended up in the 28-year-old player's hands. Bublik had several problems with his serve – with just 52% first serves in and up to 7 double faults – though he managed to compensate by performing better in crucial moments.

In the first set, he managed to save up to three break points against him in the first half, managing to keep pace with his opponent. However, he found the rhythm of the match and by 4-3, he got his first break opportunities. Cazaux saved them and maintained equality, but in the next game, Bublik managed to seize the first chance he had, taking the set 6-4.

In the second set, things got complicated for Bublik, who started by quickly dropping his serve. Cazaux went on a good run of points, winning 9 of the first 11 points played and taking a 2-0 lead. However, Bublik's reaction would follow; he quickly held onto his serve, in impeccable form during the set (winning 79% of points on his first serve). Bublik secured two consecutive breaks – stringing together 5 games in a row. In the final moments, the first seed didn't hesitate and closed out his eighth consecutive win on his serve, 6-4, 6-3.

This is Bublik's seventh professional title, solidifying him as the player of the moment over these past couple of weeks where the final clay tournaments of the season were played. The Kazakh will travel to the North American swing without too many points to defend and with the chance to continue advancing in the ranking.

Things started to change for Bublik at Roland Garros. In the preceding months, he had had to play several Challengers but struggled to regain confidence on the Tour. He won a title at the Turin Challenger, which helped him get back to consecutive wins after a particularly adverse last year.

At Roland Garros, on the surface he despises the most, he had his best Grand Slam performance, reaching the quarterfinals. And in what a way, as he defeated Alex De Minaur (9th seed) after coming back from two sets down, and then Jack Draper (5th seed) in the fourth round. He only fell to Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.

Bublik's momentum wouldn't end there, as he started the grass-court swing with a title at the ATP 500 Halle Open, surprising by eliminating world No. 1 Sinner and defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final. Undoubtedly, the first-round defeat at Wimbledon was as surprising as it was painful, but it didn't stop Bublik's ambitions; he found new confidence at this stage of his career.

Taking advantage of the transition to the American swing, Bublik decided to enter the last clay tournaments in Europe and obtained great results. He now has 8 consecutive wins and has won consecutive titles in Gstaad and Kitzbühel, conceding only one set between both tournaments. Bublik has 17 wins in his last 19 matches and three titles out of the seven he has won in his career. The Kazakh reaches world No. 25 and has good chances of continuing to advance in the ranking in the coming weeks, considering he is notably at No. 11 in the ATP Race.