Alexander Bublik has reached the final of the TERRA WORTMANN OPEN for the second time since 2023. The Kazakh came back from a set down against Karen Khachanov to triumph 4:6, 7:6 (5), 6:4. On Sunday, Bublik will face Daniil Medvedev, who had previously beaten Alexander Zverev, for his second Halle title.
After the first semi-final had already provided plenty of excitement, Khachanov and Bublik also entertained the crowd in the OWL Arena at a high level. In the first set, Bublik had all eyes on him - but his opponent showed the better tennis. Khachanov played almost flawlessly at the start and pulled away to 3:1 after a quick break. In a way, it was the preliminary decision because Bublik fell into his familiar exhibition mode for the rest of the set. Serves from below, tweeners and trick shots en masse had the spectators on the edge of their seats every minute and the Kazakh prevailed against Karen Khachanov in just over two hours.
However, Khachanov was not deterred by this, served outstandingly and was able to make it 6:4 without any problems. The second set then became a much tighter affair. Bublik again resorted to conventional means more often and prevented another break. Such a break would have been fatal, as Khachanov continued to play at a high level, made only a few mistakes and hardly got into trouble on his serve.
The tie-break remained evenly poised until 5:5. Bublik then managed the decisive mini-break, which he was able to convert into the set equaliser with a courageous net attack after his second serve. The 43rd-ranked player in the world was able to carry the momentum he had gained into the third round. In the seventh game - at 3:3 - he earned the first break point of the set, which he was able to convert directly into his first break of the match. It was the decisive blow, as Bublik converted a little later to win after a good two hours of play.
