Alxander Bublik Outlasts Tommy Paul in Epic Five-Setter to Set Up Sinner Showdown

Alexander Bublik outlasted home favorite Tommy Paul in a five-set thriller to storm into his first-ever US Open fourth round, edging a pulsating 7–6(5) 6–7(4) 6–3 6–7(5) 6–1 victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium that ended well past 1 a.m.

The Kazakhstani’s serve was his greatest weapon, firing 22 aces and winning 83% of first-serve points to keep Paul under constant pressure across nearly four hours.

The match swung on narrow margins through the first four sets, with both men trading tiebreak wins and Paul feeding off crowd energy to level twice. Yet the American could never crack Bublik’s delivery; remarkably, he failed to score a single break of serve all night. Once the fifth set began, Bublik surged ahead, reading Paul’s patterns and punishing short balls to run away with it 6–1 in emphatic style.

The win represents Bublik’s best-ever run in New York and underscores his reputation as one of the game’s most dangerous servers. He has faced just 12 break points across the entire tournament, highlighting the consistency behind his flashy shot-making.

Paul, meanwhile, exits earlier than his fourth-round runs in 2023 and 2024, undone by his inability to seize momentum in the key moments, and he falls short of becoming the American torchbearer, leaving Taylor Fritz as the sole remaining American in the draw.

While gripping, this contest didn’t eclipse the tournament’s all-time longest: the 2024 US Open’s longest men’s match, Daniel Evans vs Karen Khachanov at 5 hours 35 minutes.

Bublik now sets up a marquee clash with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, a duel that will test whether his serve and fearless creativity can withstand the relentless firepower of the sport’s most in-form player.