Bublik’s Hong Kong Breakthrough Seals Top 10 Entry
Alexander Bublik turns early-season pressure into a gritty title win over Lorenzo Musetti, storming into the ATP Top 10 with baseline power that overwhelmed the Italian’s flair in humid Hong Kong.
Alexander Bublik gripped his racket under the Victoria Park floodlights, the humid air thick with expectation as he faced Lorenzo Musetti in the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open final. The second seed had entered 2026 chasing a singular dream: cracking the Top 10, a milestone that seemed improbable just nine months prior. With a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory, he claimed his ninth ATP Tour title and fifth since June, dropping only one set en route and becoming the first Kazakhstani man to reach that elite ranking threshold on Monday.
Musetti, the 23-year-old Italian blending artistry with aggression, unleashed his one-handed backhand slices and drop shots to disrupt the baseline rhythm early. Bublik absorbed the variety, staying deep to redirect with heavy topspin forehands crosscourt, forcing his opponent to cover wide angles on the medium-paced hard courts. The crowd’s energy surged with each extended rally, the tension building as both players traded heavy groundstrokes under the night sky.
“The only goal for this season was to achieve the Top 10 and in the first week I have won the title and I am into the Top 10,” Bublik said. “If you had told me that last April I would never have believed you. But it is a pleasure and I hope to continue in the same way.”
Musetti‘s flair tests Bublik’s resolve
In the opening set, Musetti’s creative spins kept Bublik guessing, his underspin backhands skidding low to draw errors on the return. The Kazakhstani countered with a solid 1–2 pattern, serve out wide followed by an inside-in forehand that pinned the Italian back. At 2-2 in the tiebreak, Bublik fired a backhand winner inside-out, a clutch stroke that sparked four straight points and shifted the momentum decisively.
Musetti, now 2-7 in tour-level finals after seven straight losses, fought with net approaches and down-the-line passes, but Bublik’s retrieval turned defense into punishing counters. The 28-year-old’s footwork held up in the longer exchanges, his error count staying low at 18 for the match while exploiting the surface’s bounce to dictate from the baseline. This head-to-head win improves Bublik’s edge to 3-1, a series where his adaptability has consistently prevailed.
Baseline power surges in second set
After breaking early in the second, Bublik squandered the advantage but regrouped at 3-3 with a down-the-line forehand that broke back, his serve’s kick providing a reliable anchor. Musetti pushed with low slices to disrupt the rhythm, yet the Kazakhstani’s crosscourt exchanges wore down the defense, the hard court’s pace amplifying his flatter drives. The final game unfolded in a flurry of baseline bombs, Bublik sealing it with authority as the crowd roared.
Bublik’s form echoes his red-hot streak from last summer’s titles in Halle, Gstaad, Kitzbuhel, and Hangzhou, carrying that confidence into this ATP 250 event. Despite the defeat, Musetti climbs into the Top 5 on Monday, the third Italian to do so after Jannik Sinner and Adriano Panatta, his resilience at 23 promising more breakthroughs ahead. For Bublik, with a 9-7 finals record per the ATP Win/Loss Index, this triumph marks the start of a deeper run among the elite.
Top 10 reality reshapes the tour
Hong Kong’s outdoor hard courts bridged Bublik’s grass-court success to the Australian swing, rewarding his aggressive returns and heavy groundstrokes over extreme variety. Musetti’s 42% first-serve points won highlighted the pressure, as Bublik targeted crosscourt to jam the delivery and force errors. The victory not only elevates his ranking from 11th but redefines expectations, with tougher draws looming yet his mental fortitude tested and proven.
As the tour accelerates, Bublik’s baseline artillery positions him for clashes with the top seeds, his journey from doubt to dominance a blueprint for persistence. Musetti, channeling this setback, eyes redemption on faster surfaces where his spins can thrive. In tennis’s unforgiving cycle, both leave Hong Kong transformed, their paths converging again in the year’s defining battles.
