Alexander Bublik and Nikoloz Basilashvili earned statement victories on Saturday to reach the final at their respective ATP Challenger Tour events.
While the 27-year-old Bublik raced past Daniel Altmaier 6-2, 6-4 at the Piemonte Open Intesa Sanpaolo in Turin, Basilashvili ended Tallon Griekspoor's 32-match winning streak at the Challenger level (dating back to 2021) with a 6-4, 6-0 victory in just 60 minutes at the BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux.
Bublik, former No. 17 in the PIF ATP Rankings, was a finalist at the Phoenix Challenger in March, only falling short to Brazilian teen Joao Fonseca. The Kazakh will look to go one step further and claim his first clay-court title at any level. Bublik will face China's Buyunchaokete, who defeated fifth seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-3, 6-2.
Bublik. Bu. The Turin final. 👀#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/HLx2RmVtdm
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) May 17, 2025
Basilashvili has ousted three of the Top 5 seeds in Bordeaux, where in the semi-finals he used his heavy hitting to wear down Griekspoor and eventually end the Dutchman's record winning streak. The former No. 16 broke the third seed's serve five times, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to set a final meeting against home hope Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The 6'10" Frenchman ousted Rinky Hijikata 7-5, 7-6(5).
"I'm playing pretty well right now. I'm in good physical shape," said the 33-year-old Basilashvili, who is seeking his first triumph since the Seoul Challenger last November. "It was not an easy match, but I played really well. I stuck to my plan really well.
"I had a lot of problems with my body [recently]. I had a small tear on my oblique after Miami and it took me a long time to recover from that. And I needed to slowly come back, I went fully 100 per cent preparation around two weeks ago and right now, it's paid off at this tournament."
The final stage is set in Bordeaux 💪 #ATPChallenger | @BNPPprimrose pic.twitter.com/rZH82i5CE6
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) May 17, 2025
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