By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, October 31, 2025
Photo credit: Rolex Paris Masters Facebook
On Halloween, Alexander Bublik turned the City of Light into a haunted house for the Demon.
Mixing explosive drives with debilitating droppers, Bublik rallied past Alex de Minaur 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5 to advance to his maiden Rolex Paris Masters semifinal today.
It was Bublik’s 30th win in his last 37 matches as he continues a historic march as the first man from Kazakhstan to reach an ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.
Thirst for a FIRST 😱
Alexander Bublik reaches his first Masters semi-final, defating De Minaur 6-7 6-4 7-5 at #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/twQtrBj1rN
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 31, 2025
Sascha sublime 🙌
For the first time in his career Alexander Bublik has recorded multiple Top-10 wins at the same event on multiple occasions! #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/D9SitpoBRn
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 31, 2025
Continuing his quest for a fifth title in 2025, Bublik will meet Felix Auger-Aliassime for a spot in the final.
US Open semifinalist Auger-Aliassime ended Shanghai champion Valentin Vacherot’s inspired run scoring a 6-2, 6-2 sweep in today’s first quarterfinal to snap the man from Monaco’s 10-match Masters 1000 match winning streak.
The ninth-seeded Auger-Aliassime reached his 10th semifinal of the season, improved to an ATP-best 14-2 indoors this season and carries a 3-2 career lead over Bublik into their semifinal showdown.
Five months ago, Bublik rallied from two sets down delivering a gut-wrenching 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 defeat to de Minaur on the red clay of Roland Garros. That comeback win propelled Bublik, who was ranked as low as No. 82 in March, to the French Open quarterfinals and the best season of his career. Since that comeback, Bublik has gone on to win four titles on three different surfaces—grass, clay and hard court—and joins No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz as one of only two men to defeat Jannik Sinner in a completed match this season.
De Minaur looked mightily motivated to avenge his Roland Garros loss in a tightly-contested opening set today.
Serving at 5-6, de Minaur was tested to 30-all when Bublik carved a superb stretch volley down the line. The Aussie rapped an ace down the T holding for 6-all to force the tiebreaker.
Five mini-breaks marked the first nine points of the tiebreaker. When de Minaur netted a backhand, Bublik went up 5-3.
The de Minaur forehand turned the tiebreaker in his favor. Hammering an inside-out forehand winner, the Aussie leveled at 5-all.
Bublik sent a forehand return deep then slapped a forehand into net off a great de Minaur dig as the the US Open quarterfinalist snatched a one-set lead after 54 minutes of play.
The 26-year-old de Minaur won 12 of 14 points played on the big-serving Bublik’s second delivery and faced only one break point despite serving just 51 percent in that first set.
Halle champion Bublik possesses that rare combination of jolting power and unsettling touch. He deployed it creating the lone break of the second set. Bublik flicked a fantastic full stretch forehand half volley winner for break point then punished a forehand return winner down the line breaking for a 2-1 second-set lead.
‘Dripping in talent’ 😱
Bublik turns magic mode into a break at #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/iDR2bE6oX7
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 31, 2025
The 28-year-old Kazakh saved a break point with a twisting serve, eventually holding for 4-2.
Bublik blasted his eighth ace to seal the second set—his second straight game-ending ace—to force a final set after 91 minutes of play.
Bublik was piling up the pressure in the ninth game exploiting a couple of double faults for two break points. De Minaur drilled a pair of aces and hit a forehand down the line holding for 5-4.
Credit Bublik for again deploying the dropper successfully against one of the game’s fastest men holding to level after 10 games.
The flat-hitting de Minaur spit up nine double faults today—in contrast Bublik banged 16 aces against four double faults—and the most costly Demon double saw him double fault away the break and a 6-5 lead.
Seeing the finish line, Bublik breezed through a two-ace game ending a two hour, 22-minute triumph with his 16th ace and a primal scream of success.
Bublik raised his record to 37-20 and rises to a career-high No. 13 in the ATP live rankings continuing his push for a Top 10 appearance.
