After a stellar 2025 season, Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan has started 2026 by becoming a top 10 player for the first time.
Bublik defeated Italian Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (2), 6-3 in the final of the ATP tournament in Hong Kong on Sunday and will move up one spot to world No. 10 when the new rankings come out on Monday. It’s the first time that Kazakhstan has had a player among the 10 best tennis players in the world.
Smiling broadly, Bublik went down on one knee after winning the match on a Musetti forehand into the net. In his on-court victory speech, he said Hong Kong would always be a special place because of what he achieved there.
“I’m being honest with you,” Bublik said. “If you tell me that, at the beginning of my career or last April, that I’m going to be standing here, 10 in the world… I would probably not believe you.”
The Russia-born, 28-year-old player had his best season last year, winning four titles after struggling early in 2025. With the Hong Kong win, he has won a total of nine titles in his career.
Bublik now has a 3-1 head-to-head record over Musetti, a top 10 player. Despite his success, Musetti has lost his last seven tour finals. In his speech, Bublik said that he too had lost a lot of finals and that he expected the Italian to build on those losses and achieve “some very big moments of your career.”
Bublik told the Hong Kong crowd that he “can’t wait” to return next year.
