Alexander Bublik cracks new milestone with Gstaad semi-final win vs. Arthur Cazaux | ATP Tour

Gstaad

Bublik unlocks new milestone with Gstaad SF win

Kazakhstani reaches first tour-level final on clay, faces J.M. Cerundolo on Sunday

July 19, 2025

Alexander Bublik rode his blazing run at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad to a new career milestone on Saturday afternoon.

The second seed delivered a classy semi-final display to defeat Arthur Cazaux 6-1, 7-5 and continue his perfect set record at the clay-court ATP 250. Bublik, who hit 35 winners during his 73-minute clinic, is into his 13th tour-level final, and first on clay.

Clay Bublik: ACTIVATED 🧱

The No. 2 seed handles Cazaux to reach his first tour-level final on the dirt!@SwissOpenGstaad | #SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/ENde6qZuxJ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 19, 2025

“Surprisingly, I have been winning every match in two sets, but before the tournament I was not convinced on court,” joked Bublik after improving to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Cazaux. “Tennis is tennis, we play in all conditions: Rain, sun, wind… We have to adapt, and clay is one of those things.”

While Bublik was dominant from all corners of the court in his clash with Cazaux, he was particularly potent behind his serve. He fired 12 aces and won 87 per cent (33/38) of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Up four spots to No. 30 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Bublik ensured he will on Monday return to the Top 30 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since last year. The 28-year-old’s stellar surge is highlighted by his quarter-final run at Roland Garros before he captured his second trophy in Halle.

Chasing his sixth ATP Tour title, Bublik will face Juan Manuel Cerundolo in Sunday’s championship match. Cerundolo, who notched the biggest win of his career over World No. 13 Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals, continued his form to defeat Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse 6-3, 6-3 amid testing conditions.

Watch Extended Highlights of Gstaad semi-finals:

“Today was too windy, I think the key was to play with the wind,” said Cerundolo, who is into his first ATP Tour final since winning the Cordoba title in his tour-level debut in 2021. “When I was against the wind, I tried to hold serve by using variation in my game, and when I had the wind in my favour, I hit with more spin because the ball bounces really high. That was the key.”

By notching a personal-best eighth tour-level win of the season, Cerundolo has jumped 28 spots to No. 81 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. On Monday, he will return to the Top 100 for the first time since 2023.