Bubbling Under
Alexander Bublik is improbably surviving—but predictably entertaining—at Roland Garros.
PARIS, France — There weren’t any major shocks in the first week of the 2025 French Open, it turned out.
All of the Top 8 women won the requisite three rounds to reach the second week; among the men, only No. 4 Taylor Fritz and No. 7 Casper Ruud bowed out early (Ruud was clearly injured in his second round loss to Nuno Borges).
But despite most of the projected quarterfinalists hanging around, there was one result that floored me here as I watched it unfold on the scoreboard.
Ninth-seeded Alex de Minaur, who is very comfortable on clay, had a 6-2, 6-2 lead in his second round over 51st-ranked Alexander Bublik on Thursday.
Bublik, who might be most famous for his underarm serves and other low-percentage mischievous merriment, isn’t exactly known as a relentless battler, so there was every reason to think the match was as good as done.
But Bublik somehow hung around, and de Minaur hit a wall. The result was a shocking reversal: Bublik prevailed 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
Afterwards, Bublik blamed his slow start on an early call time.
“Was a bit early for me,” he said of being the first match on. “11:00 is not my preferable time. I was a bit sleepy in the first two sets. Yeah, so it was a key to wake up, and then to play one of the best slam matches that I ever played in my life.”
Bublik’s win was our gain in the press room. In my piece a couple days ago on Sam Querrey—which has sparked a lot of interesting reactions and conversations with various folks around the grounds here since it came out—I discussed how certain players have a reputation for lighting up the press room with flavorful quotes and incisive takes that make media flock to them reliably, regardless of their ranking.
That description fits Alexander Bublik to a T.
Bublik has never been ranked close to the Top 10—and very few reporters are Kazakh—but Bublik always commands an audience the podium, particularly when he’s winning and in a good mood.
Bublik is definitely winning and in a good mood here: counting both the Challenger and ATP Tour levels, he’s already had more wins on clay this year than he had in the previous three years combined.
Below the paywall, please enjoy many of Bublik’s great press room moments after his big third round win on Saturday over Portuguese qualifier Henrique Rocha, which booked his spot in the second week of a major for just the second time in his career.
Also as a bonus for subscribers, I have obtained a copy of the fines list so far for the 2025 French Open, which I haven’t seen published anywhere else yet. So if you’re curious about who the bad boys have been (and they’ve all been men so far, it seems), that list is below as well.
Plus, a look ahead at some fourth round matches to watch on Day 8.
Lots to enjoy below! Thanks for subscribing to Bounces! -Ben
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Bounces to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.