Alexander Bublik has accomplished a remarkably rare and one-of-a-kind feat as the Kazakh is the first player in the history of the ATP Tour to emerge victorious in a tournament after losing the first set in each of his matches on his way to the title, according to Jeu, Set et Maths.
Bublik, who was seeded second in Montpellier, secured his fourth ATP title this past week. In the Montpellier final on Sunday, Bublik didn’t have a promising start but managed to turn the tide and ultimately clinched the title with a 5-7 6-2 6-3 triumph over the fourth-seeded Coric.
Prior to his comeback victory against Coric in the final, Bublik achieved three comeback wins earlier in the tournament. After receiving a first-round bye, Bublik survived a thrilling encounter against Denis Shapovalov in the round-of-16, where he saved three match points before sealing a 1-6 7-6 (12) 6-3 victory.
Following a 4-6 6-3 6-4 comeback win over Alexander Shevchenko in the quarterfinals, Bublik also staged a comeback in the semifinals to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6 6-4 6-4.
In an extraordinary turn of events, Alexander Bublik has become the first man this century to win a title after losing the first set in EVERY round:
Round of 16 – defeated Shapovalov 1-6 7-6 6-3
Quarterfinals – defeated Shevchenko 4-6 6-3 6-4
Semifinals – defeated Auger-Aliassime 4-6 6-4 6-4
Final – defeated Coric 5-7 6-2 6-3
(@JeuSetMaths) pic.twitter.com/5LWgFhzRVg
According to @JeuSetMaths, this has never happened before in the history of the ATP Tour! (since 1990)
Against Coric, Bublik had a 4-1 advantage and an opportunity to break serve and take a commanding lead in the first set. However, he failed to convert two consecutive break points in the sixth game. Bublik then experienced a shocking collapse as he was broken in the seventh and 11th games, ultimately losing the first set despite initially being in the lead.
Nevertheless, Bublik managed to bounce back at the beginning of the second set, breaking Coric in the fourth game. With Coric trailing 5-2 and serving to stay in the set, Bublik once again broke the Croatian’s serve, forcing the match into a decisive third set.
After comfortably winning the second set, Bublik started the third set with a break and a commanding 3-0 lead. In the remaining games of the set, Bublik saved a total of break points before serving out for the title in the ninth game.