French Open 2025 | In a major upset, world no. 62 Bublik defeats no.9 seed De Minaur in five-set thriller

Alexander Bublik pulled off a big upset by defeating Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the second round of the French Open on Thursday (May 29). After being down in the first two sets, the Kazak player made a strong comeback to win the match by 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Early on, De Minaur, the No.9 seed, looked in complete control. He played aggressive tennis, moved well, and dominated the first two sets. At one stage, it looked like the Aussie was heading for a quick win.

But, Bublik showed a fighting spirit as during the third set, he started serving better and cut down his previous errors. His improved play helped him take the third set 6-4 which resulted in the drift of momentum.

Also Read | Jannik Sinner makes light work of Richard Gasquet to reach third round; Zverev sees off De Jong

The fourth set followed a similar pattern. Bublik broke De Minaur’s serve to take 3-1 lead. The Aussie tried to fight back but Bublik stayed focused and closed out the set 6-3.

In the final set, Bublik was full of confidence. He broke De Minaur twice and finished the match 6-2, sealing one of the biggest wins of his Grand Slam career.

This is the third time De Minaur has lost a match after being two sets up. It last happened at the 2018 US Open and the 2022 Wimbledon. The loss also ended his run of six straight Grand Slams where he reached at least the fourth round. It’s his earliest exit since Wimbledon 2023.

With this win, Bublik moves into the third round where he will face world No.200 Henrik Rocha on Friday (30 May), who also came back after being two sets down in his previous outing.