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Kazakhstan’s Bublik Wraps Best Season as Alternate at ATP Finals

Alexander Bublik’s stellar season isn’t quite over. The Russia-born player from Kazakhstan, ranked 11 in the world, is an alternate at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy this week. Bublik is enjoying himself in Turin, leaving Carlos Alcaraz flat-footed with a spinny underhand serve during a training session with the Spaniard. “Who said practice can’t be fun?!” the Kazakhstani said on Instagram. As first alternate, 28-year-old Bublik could play matches if any of the eight players at the elite event gets injured during the round robin stage. Whatever happens, he has enjoyed his best year as a tennis professional. He won four tour titles in 2025, for a total of eight during his career. He reached the quarterfinals at the French Open this year, falling to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. It was Bublik’s deepest run at a major tournament and came after a ranking as low as 82 earlier in the year. He also reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal with a three-set win over Alex de Minaur in Paris on October 31. “Honestly I always say that wins don’t make me go through the roof and losses don’t put me to the ground,” Bublik said this year, according to the ATP. “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.” On the women’s side, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday to win the WTA finals for the first time, collecting a record $5.23 million in prize money and 1,500 ranking points.

Sports

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina Defeats World No. 1 Sabalenka for WTA Finals Title

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan didn’t make it past the round-robin stage in two previous appearances at the WTA Finals. On Saturday, she defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (0) to win the elite competition for the first time, collecting a record $5.23 million in prize money and 1,500 ranking points. Russia-born Rybakina, 26, was unbeaten in the eight-player tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that the WTA describes as the “crown jewel” of women’s tennis, winning matches against Amanda Anisimova, 2023 WTA Finals champion Iga Swiatek, alternate Ekaterina Alexandrova and Jessica Pegula. Rybakina improved to 6-8 in her head-to-head against Belarusian Sabalenka, who was also undefeated in her path to the final. “Because the singles finalists are coming into this match undefeated, the champion will take home $5.23 million, the largest payout in women's sports history,” the WTA said ahead of the final. It also said: “An undefeated tournament results in 1,500 ranking points.” Sabalenka won this year’s U.S. Open and reached the Australian Open and Roland Garros finals. Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, had won two WTA 500 titles but did not advance past the fourth round at any of the majors this year. She picked up momentum on faster surfaces in the late-year Asian swing with her big serve, and hammered 15 aces in a three-set victory over American Pegula in the semifinals in Riyadh. The WTA Finals were played on indoor hard courts at the King Saud University Indoor Arena. As champion, Rybakina joins Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, and Serena Williams and other luminaries who have won the season-ending event.

Elena Rybakina

Elena Rybakina Makes History as First Kazakh to Reach WTA Finals Semifinals

Elena Rybakina, Kazakhstan’s top-ranked tennis player and world number six, has made history by reaching the semifinals of the WTA Finals. She is the first player from Kazakhstan and the wider Central Asian region to advance to the playoffs of the prestigious year-end tournament. The WTA Finals, held annually since 1971, feature the top eight players based on points accumulated throughout the season rather than the current WTA rankings. In 2025, Rybakina secured her place in Riyadh ahead of world number ten, Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova. This is Rybakina’s third consecutive appearance at the Finals. After failing to progress beyond the group stage in 2023 and 2024, she achieved a breakthrough this year by finishing first in her group. Her round-robin opponents included world number two Iga Swiatek (Poland), world number four Amanda Anisimova (United States), and world number seven Madison Keys (U.S.). Rybakina began with a commanding 6–3, 6–1 victory over Anisimova, then mounted a comeback against Swiatek, overturning a 3–6 first-set loss to take the next two sets 6–1, 6–0. The consecutive wins secured her a place in the semifinals and the top position in the group with one match remaining. In the final group match, Keys withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Alexandrova, who had traveled to Riyadh as an alternate. Rybakina maintained her dominance, defeating the Russian 6–4, 6–4. At 25, the Moscow-born Rybakina, who represents Kazakhstan, has earned her place in the nation’s tennis history as the first player to reach the WTA Finals playoffs. Anisimova, who stunned Swiatek 6–7 (3), 6–4, 6–2, finished second in the group and will also advance. In the parallel group, semifinal qualification will be decided on November 6. World number one Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) leads and is set to face world number three Coco Gauff (U.S.), while Jessica Pegula (U.S.), currently in second place, will play Jasmine Paolini (Italy). Rybakina will face the runner-up from that group in the semifinal on November 7. The final is scheduled for November 8. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Rybakina’s strong 2025 season included titles at two WTA tournaments and a semifinal appearance at the Tokyo event in October, which secured her place at the Finals.

Sports

Maria Timofeeva Switches Tennis Allegiance to Uzbekistan

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has officially listed 21-year-old Maria Timofeeva as representing Uzbekistan, marking a change in her sporting nationality. The update, first reported by Championat, now appears on the WTA’s official website, where the Uzbek flag is displayed next to her name. Born in Moscow, Timofeeva had not made any public statements about a possible change of federation. Speculation arose earlier this year after comments by Russian Tennis Federation President Shamil Tarpishchev, who said several Russian players were considering switching national representation because of ongoing restrictions on tennis events in Russia. “We have a difficult situation in Russian tennis: no domestic tournaments, no functioning league, and no funding for player development,” Tarpishchev told TASS. “Around a thousand of our players are competing abroad, and about 20 may soon start playing for other nations.” Timofeeva’s move appears to reflect this broader trend. Although she began her career in Russia, much of her training took place overseas, initially in Slovenia, and more recently in Germany. Her exposure to international academies and competition likely facilitated her transition to the Uzbek Tennis Federation. Currently ranked 146th in the world, Timofeeva reached a career-high of No. 93 in spring 2024. Her breakthrough performance came at the Australian Open, where she advanced to the fourth round after qualifying, defeating top-tier players including Caroline Wozniacki, Alizé Cornet, and Beatriz Haddad Maia. The move represents a significant gain for Uzbekistan’s national tennis program, which has been steadily raising its international profile. Timofeeva’s inclusion may enhance the visibility and competitiveness of Uzbek women’s tennis as the country continues to invest in sports infrastructure and athlete development. Neither Timofeeva nor the Uzbek Tennis Federation has issued an official statement on the change, but her WTA registration signals the start of a new chapter in her professional career.

Sports

Kazakhstan’s Bublik Wins Back-to-Back Tennis Titles on Clay

Another week, another title. Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan won the Generali Open in Kitzbühel, Austria on Saturday, just a week after raising the winner’s trophy in Gstaad, Switzerland. Both tennis titles were on clay, a surface he once disparaged. Bublik beat Arthur Cazaux of France, 6-4, 6-3 in Kitzbühel, pounding groundstrokes and feathering dropshots against a player he had also beaten on the way to the title in Gstaad. It’s all part of what Bublik, 28, has described as his greatest season on the tour, which includes a quarterfinals run at the French Open and the grass court title at Halle in Germany. He now has won a total of seven ATP Tour singles titles, and his No. 30 ranking is projected to climb after the victory in Austria on Saturday. He struggled earlier in the year and was ranked 82 in mid-March. The Russia-born player stumbled at Wimbledon with a loss in the first round.

Bublik

After Wimbledon Letdown, Bublik Wins Sixth Title in Swiss Alps

Despite a first-round loss at Wimbledon, Alexander Bublik is having his “greatest season” on the tour. Bublik of Kazakhstan said so in his victory speech on Sunday after winning his sixth ATP Tour singles title – and first title on clay - at Gstaad in the Swiss Alps. Bublik, 28, defeated Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the final, telling his opponent afterward that the tough match was “complete torture.” The Russia-born player reached the quarterfinals at the French Open in early June, falling to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. It was his best performance in a major tournament. Bublik then won the Halle grass court tournament, raising expectations for Wimbledon. But he lost there to Jaume Munar in five sets in the first round. Then came the run to the ATP 250 title in Gstaad, where Bublik said he wouldn’t have minded losing early because the view of the Alps was so beautiful. Bublik, who was ranked as low as world no. 82 in mid-March, will be back in the top 30 on Monday because of the Gstaad win, according to the ATP. “This was probably one of the toughest seasons but yet it’s the greatest season I’m having,” he said.