HALLE, Germany (AP) — Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik upset Andrey Rublev 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the final of the Halle Open on Sunday ahead of Wimbledon.
It's the second title of Bublik's career after he won in Montpellier last year with the player from Kazakhstan improving to a 2-6 record in tour-level finals. He rises to a career-high 26th in the rankings after starting the week 48th.
Rublev drops to 13-8 in finals. The Russian is now a two-time Halle runner-up after losing to Ugo Humbert in the 2021 final.
The seventh-ranked Rublev is set to return to Wimbledon next month after missing last year's edition of the grass-court Grand Slam event when Russian and Belarusian players were barred following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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