Aug 5, 2025; Toronto, ON, Canada; Andrey Rublev talks to his coach after losing a point to Taylor Fritz (not pictured) during quarterfinals at Sobeys Stadium.

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ATP China Open 2025 Round of 32 Upset Alert – Andrey Rublev & Alexander Bublik Crash Out in Straight Sets

Rublev was the No. 3 seed, Bublik won the Hangzhou Open this week.

Aug 5, 2025; Toronto, ON, Canada; Andrey Rublev talks to his coach after losing a point to Taylor Fritz (not pictured) during quarterfinals at Sobeys Stadium.

No. 3 seed Andrey Rublev and Hangzhou Open champion Alexander Bublik were shown the exit doors in the early stages of the 2025 China Open in Beijing. The two stars were handed tricky opening round fixtures against Flavio Cobolli and Adrian Mannarino respectively. Touted to go deep into the draw and possibly challenge the likes of Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, Rublev and Bublik will lose out on very important ranking points.

Andrey Rublev Throws Away Early Advantage in Straight Sets Upset

Down goes the No.6 seed ❌

Flavio Cobolli rallies back from a break down in both sets to beat Andrey Rublev 7-6(3) 6-3! 🇮🇹✌️#ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/CQ2K6l39HI
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 26, 2025

Rublev made a strong start in the opener, and raced ahead to 4-1 within no time. The No. 3 seed was firing on both wings, and forced Cobolli on the back-foot in the early stages. However, the 23-year-old Italian crucially held serve for 2-4, before breaking back and levelling proceedings. As the set went on, Cobolli was able to get into more attacking positions and dictate play by coming to the net. He played a flawless tiebreaker to grab the first set by 7-6(3).

Hoping to make a comeback, Rublev broke early yet again to go up 2-0. Needing one point to go up a double break, two ferocious forehands from Cobolli cancelled out his opportunity. The match was going into heavy-hitting overdrive, with both players looking to outhit their opponent. The Russian, ranked No. 14 in the world, did not have the patience and variety to extend the match. As has been the case for a large part of his season, Rublev’s predictability and one-dimensional approach meant that he failed to convert his break point chances.

Flavio Cobolli earns an impressive 7-6(3), 6-3 win vs sixth seed Rublev in Beijing.

Rublev led 5-2 in the first set and 2-0, 40-15 in the second but now falls to 0-2 in the Asian swing so far this year. pic.twitter.com/3dO2bFzY59
— Christian's Court (@christianscourt) September 26, 2025

Up 4-3, Cobolli played a fantastic return game to put himself in prime position to serve out the match. With a classic wide serve and forehand back behind, the unseeded breakout star of 2025 completed a monumental upset. The win also helped Cobolli improve his head-to-head against Rublev to 2-0.

Result: Cobolli def. Rublev 7-6(3) 6-3.

Adrian Mannarino Humbles Alexander Bublik in Beijing

Statement victory 🔥

Adrian Mannarino ends Alexander Bublik's run via a 6-3 6-2 victory!#ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/cT4yxWjQzQ
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 26, 2025

Three days ago, Alexander Bublik was celebrating a magnificent championship run in Hangzhou. Coming up against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the China Open Round of 32, the Kazakh powerhouse failed to continue the momentum. Managing a mere 55% first serves and winning only 41% second serve points, it was always going to be tough. On the other hand, his 37-year-old counterpart produced a masterclass in using the opponent’s pace and consolidating on half chances.

While Mannarino converted 4 out of 5 break point opportunities, Bublik could not earn a single break of serve. Even in baseline exchanges, it seemed like the 28-year-old was fatigued and lacked the venom in groundstrokes. In an hour, the formalities were completed and Mannarino advanced to the Round of 16 stage. He will face either Lorenzo Musetti or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the next round.

Result: Mannarino def. Bublik 6-3 6-2.

(Image Credits: John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images)

Adrian Mannarino

Alexander Bublik

Andrey Rublev

ATP

China Open 2025

Flavio Cobolli

Tennis

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.