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Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan caused a minor upset by beating ninth seed Alexander Zverev of Germany in the semifinals in Halle on Saturday, June 24. Bublik prevailed in straight sets (6-3 7-5) to set up a clash with Andrey Rublev of Russia in the final on Sunday.
This is the first time the 26-year-old Kazakh has reached the final of an ATP 500 tournament. Given his display in the semifinal, he will fancy his chances against Rublev, too. However, the Russian leads their head-to-head 3-0 at the moment and will be the slight favorite to win the title.
Still, it will be their first ever meeting on grass and one cannot rule out the chance of an upset. Bublik showed what he is capable of in the semifinals and could end up winning his first title on the surface.
On that note, here's a look at two things that stood out in the match:
#1 Bublik demonstrated great touch throughout the match to keep Zverev guessing
Bublik's exceptional touch was on display throughout the match. The Kazakh played his sliced returns, drop shots and drop volleys really well and made the German rush the net frequently. He served quite well and also took the initiative to venture forward and win points with volleys.
He broke Zverev in the fourth game of the match and held serve to win the first set. The German, meanwhile, tried to win points from the baseline only and was a bit too one-dimensional in his approach.
#2 Both players hit nice passing shots in the second set
The second set saw Zverev show a bit more intent, with the German hitting a couple of nice down-the-line passing shots off his forehand. However, he was on the receiving end of a few passes as well as Bublik seemed to have the German's measure.
The two players held their serve for the first 10 games of the second set, but the Kazakh broke to nil in the 11th game. He then served out the match with ease to reach the final.
Bublik hit 14 aces in the match and won a staggering 94% of the points on his first serve. Zverev could not break him even once and managed to win just 44% of the points on his second serve. It was a statement win for the Kazakh who will hope to put up a similar performance against Rublev.
