Alexander Bublik stands on the brink a career milestone. Should the 28-year-old win the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open on Sunday, Bublik will make his Top 10 debut in the PIF ATP Rankings.
The unpredictable and entertaining Bublik has been one of the most in-form players since May of last season. Last March, Bublik was as low as No. 82 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but a dramatic turnaround followed. Bublik reached his first major quarter-final at Roland Garros and triumphed in Halle, Gstaad, Kitzbühel and Hangzhou.
“I always say that wins don’t make me go through the roof and losses don’t put me to the ground,” Bublik said after winning his eighth career title in Hangzhou last September. “I try to stay stable. I enjoy what I do. I’m happy that I’m able to travel, play tournaments and stay healthy, and the wins are coming… That’s beautiful.”
Holding 2,980 points in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Bublik trails No. 10 Jack Draper by 10 points. If Bublik wins the Hong Kong championship match, he will add another 85 points to leapfrog the Briton.
Aiming to become the first Kazakhstani man to crack the Top 10, Bublik has long been fuelled by a style that is as captivating as it is unconventional. He can hammer a serve and then follow it with a feathered drop shot. He can appear almost unserious, only to lock in when it matters most.
Bublik is undoubtedly one of the Tour’s most entertaining figures — and he is equally as dangerous. Last year in Halle, Bublik stunned then-World No. 1 Jannik Sinner just two weeks after the Italian beat him at Roland Garros.
With it being the opening week of the 2026 season, Bublik would become the first player this year to make his Top 10 debut. Last season, four players cracked the Top 10 for the first time: Jack Draper, Lorenzo Musetti, Tommy Paul, and Ben Shelton.
Fittingly, Musetti will stand across the net from Bublik in Sunday’s final at the ATP 250 in Hong Kong. The Italian has already earned a milestone of his own this week, sealing his Top 5 debut. Musetti, 23, will be the third Italian in PIF ATP Rankings history to crack the Top 5, joining former No. 4 Adriano Panatta (1976) and Jannik Sinner (2024), who is World No. 2. This will mark the first time that two Italian men are in the Top 5 of the PIF ATP Rankings at the same time.
© Copyright 1994 - 2024 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Community Social Media Policy | Modern Slavery Statement | Feedback | Cookies | Your Privacy Choices 
