Alexander Bublik, a Kazakh, defeated Arthur Fils, a Frenchman, 6-4, 6-4 to capture his third ATP tournament championship in Antwerp.
The 36th-ranked Bublik defeated his 38th-ranked French opponent in one hour and sixteen minutes. Prior to this, he had lost the first round of every five tournaments he has participated in since making it to the Wimbledon fourth round.
After winning at home in Lyon in May and defeating Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-final of the Belgian event, Fils was vying for his second championship of the year. However, the 19-year-old made a number of unintentional mistakes as he faced Bublik’s strong serve. In 34 minutes, the 26-year-old Kazakh finished the first set after breaking his opponent’s serve at 2-2.
After winning in Halle this year and Montpellier in 2022, he broke early in the second set and fended off two break points at 3-2 to win his third championship.