GSTAAD/WASHINGTON, July 20, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)
Throughout his week at the ATP 250 EFG Swiss Open Gstaad in the upscale resort town in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps, Alexander Bublik played through many changing conditions, including rain, sun and wind.
After his semifinal victory over 116th-ranked Frenchman Arthur Cazaux on Saturday, a match whose start was delayed three hours by rain, Bublik quipped during his on-court interview: “Tennis is tennis. … We have to adapt, and clay is one of those things.”
Sunday afternoon, with sun-splashed Roy Emerson Arena filled to its 4,500-seat capacity, the 34th-ranked Bublik capped a milestone week by winning his sixth ATP Tour title overall and first one on clay, a surface he once despised. The 28-year-old, No. 2 seed from Kazakhstan fought past 109th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, in two hours and seven minutes to win the title of the ATP 250 clay-court event.
SASCHA TAKES THE CROWN
Bublik holds firm in a three-set battle against Cerundolo 6-4 4-6 6-3 to complete the job in Gstaad!@SwissOpenGstaad | #SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/WlzhVNbOF3
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 20, 2025
Sprinting into the title match after winning a trio of straight-set matches, Bublik was pushed to the limit by the 23-year-old Argentine, younger brother of World No. 20 Francisco Cerundolo. In a final that saw each of the first two sets decided by a service break, the third set came down to the wire, too.
After narrowly losing the second set, Bublik regained his composure in the third. He broke to go ahead of Cerundolo in the sixth game to gain a 4-2 lead and consolidated the break with a demonstrative forehand winner – his 43rd winner of the final – for a 5-2 advantage. Soon, Bublik had a championship point on Cerundolo’s serve at 30-40 but the Argentine held tough and hit a forehand winner to gain deuce point. Cerundolo went on to hold his serve with his first ace of the match.
When it was Bublik’s turn to close out the title win, he did so with a variety of offensive weapons – a powerful first serve, a deceptive slice backhand drop shot, and finally a service ace up the middle. He won all 16 of his first-serve points in the decider.
Victorious Bublik @SwissOpenGstaad | #SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/WZCUIohhKu
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 20, 2025
Bublik finished the final with 47 winners – including 13 aces – but made 39 unforced errors. He won 81 percent of his first-serve points, saved seven of 10 break points, converted four of 14 break-point chances and outpointed Cerundolo 104-90. Cerundolo countered with 21 winners while committing 25 unforced errors.
“First of all, Juan, as I told you at the net, this was not tennis. It was complete torture,” Bublik bantered during the trophy ceremony. “This is my sixth title and I have played the greats of the game, but this final I will remember as one of the toughest I ever played. So good job to you and congrats to your team, it was really good.”
Although Cerundolo pushed Bublik all the way, in the end it was Kazakh No. 1 who prevailed. It was his 20th victory of the season and second title to go along with his ATP 500 crown won on grass at Halle last month. Since mid-April, Bublik has gone 17-5 in tour-level matches. En route to his Gstaad title, Bublik defeated Alexander Shevchenko, Francisco Comesana, Cazaux and Cerundolo.
“It was real pleasure to come here,” Bublik said, after playing in Gstaad for the first time. “I can’t wait to come back next year. The beautiful Alps. It’s an amazing spot. I’m really happy that I’m standing here as a winner, but even if I’d lost in the first round, the view is amazing anyway.”
That’s what it’s all about ❤️@SwissOpenGstaad | #SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/GAL0QghyCr
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 20, 2025
On Monday, Bublik will rise into the Top 30 of the PIF ATP Rankings after his Gstaad triumph after being ranked as low as No. 82 in mid-March. Next, Bublik, his wife and young son, will travel to Kitzbühel, the small Alpine town in the Austrian province of Tyrol, where he’s the No. 1 seed in this week’s Generali Open.
Meanwhile, Cerundolo will re-enter the ATP Top 100 for the first time since October 2023 after posting the biggest win of his career, a quarterfinal upset of World No. 13 Casper Ruud, a two-time Gstaad champion who was the top seed.
No.6⃣ = Happy Sascha
With his Gstaad triumph, Bublik now owns a tour-level title on all three surfaces! @SwissOpenGstaad | #SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/0NSK2RFPID
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 20, 2025
Cabral and Miedler win first ATP doubles title as team
Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler (photo: Breakpoint Images/Swiss Open Gstaad)
No. 1 seeds Francisco Cabral of Portugal and Lucas Miedler of Austria won the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad doubles title over No. 3 seeds Hendrik Jebens of Germany and Albano Olivetti of France, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 10-3m in one hour and 54 minutes.
The Portuguese/Australia due improved to 11-7 on tour-level – and 27-9 in all competitions – after making their ATP Tour team debut last April in Marrakech. Earlier this season, they won ATP Challenger Tour titles in Madrid and Bordeaux.
In Sunday’s final, Cabral and Miedler won 82 percent of their first-serve points, combined to hit nine aces and saved both break points they faced. They outpointed their opponents 81-78.
Around Roy Emerson Arena
Opened in 1991, the 4,500-seat Roy Emerson Arena is the centerpiece of the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad. It’s named in honor of Hall of Famer Roy Emerson of Australia, a 12-time major champion and five-time winner at Gstaad.
By the numbers
Alexander Bublik is the 14th active player on the ATP Tour to win a tour-level title on all three surfaces (hard court, grass, clay). He has won three titles on hard courts, two on grass and one on clay.
“Quotable …”
“I want to say thank you to everyone that made this tournament an amazing week: the ball kids, the referees, the staff. I really enjoyed everything. I want to also thank all the people for coming this week. The crowd was incredible, the support was amazing. It was almost like home.”
– Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina, during his trophy ceremony speech, after accepting the runner-up prize.
