Alexander Bublik Questions Top Players After Valentin Vacherot’s Shanghai Masters Win in Absence of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz: “We Failed”
Alexander Bublik is bidding to win his fifth title of the season at the Vienna Open, where he is chasing his first title.
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Alexander Bublik, Valentin Vacherot (Image via X/Jay, Jose Morgado)
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According to Alexander Bublik, Valentin Vacherot‘s Shanghai Masters win was a failure by the other top ATP players. Prior to Shanghai, Vacherot had only one tour-level match win to his name (he won the first-round match in this year’s Monte Carlo Masters).
But in Shanghai, the Monegasque knocked out five top 20 players, including the tournament’s most successful player, Novak Djokovic, in the semifinals. In the final, then, Vacherot beat Arthur Rinderknech, his cousin, in three sets.
If he’s able to win a Masters, that’s our fault. All of us we failed. We didn’t get ready enough for the Masters. That’s all of us, in a way. He cracked, how many top-20 players? Two top-10? He won a Masters. On the other side, there’s Arthur killing everyone, so I guess it’s question to us.
What Bublik wants to say is that other than Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the level on the tour is lower. The six-time Grand Slam champion skipped the Shanghai event because of an ankle injury he suffered in his debut match at the Japan Open, while Sinner threw in the towel in the third round against Tallon Griekspoor due to severe cramps. Griekspoor faced Vacherot later in the fourth round.
Why are we in Shanghai at the end of the season? How many of us have won a lot of titles? How many of us maybe won a couple of Slams, Masters, and we were not able to stop those two guys? That’s the question for us.
Alexander Bublik added
Bublik was the first seeded player Vacherot eliminated en route to the title. Tomas Machac then gave him the walkover, following which, he knocked out Griekspoor, Holger Rune, and Djokovic. The victory made him the first player from Monaco to win a Masters 1000 trophy.
After Shanghai, Vacherot played the Swiss Indoors but suffered a three-set defeat to first seed Taylor Fritz in the first round. The 26-year-old started the Shanghai event as a 204-ranked player, but at present, he stands at the 39th spot.
Alexander Bublik reflects on his 2025 season
Alexander Bublik has lifted the most titles this season, after Carlos Alcaraz, as the latter has clinched eight titles from 10 finals. The Kazakh ace is the winner of four titles, one of which is an ATP 500 title.
He took home the Halle Open by beating Daniil Medvedev, following which, he went past Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the Swiss Open Gstaad. The 28-year-old next won the Austrian Open Kitzbuhel against Arthur Cazaux, following which, he ended the Hangzhou Open in his favor against Valentin Royer.
If you asked me if I could win three ATP 250, I’d probably say three is tough, probably one. I have won titles, but four is a lot. I was really mentally stable in the crucial moments, which I didn’t do in Shanghai, for example, and I had my chances.
Alexander Bublik said during his interview with Sky Sports
Bublik is currently participating in the Vienna Open, where he went past Alejandro Tabilo in the first round to schedule a second-round clash with Francisco Cerundolo. The World No.26 has met the Argentine once, losing that match in four sets. They played in the first round of this year’s Australian Open.
The eight-time ATP titlist has never won the Vienna Open. Cerundolo, a three-time ATP winner, has reached just one final this year, at the Argentina Open, losing that match in straight sets to Joao Fonseca. He is also chasing his first title in Vienna and knocked out Alex Michelsen in the first round.
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