Valentin Vacherot and Alexander Bublik win ATP Tour’s biggest upset in 2025 | ATP Tour

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Vaccello and Bublik’s wins become the biggest upsets on the ATP Tour in 2025

Atmane, Van de Zandschulp, and Goffin also made the top 5

November 29, 2025

To mark the end of another exciting season, ATPTour.com presents our annual “Best of” series, which will reflect the most interesting rivalries, games, comebacks, upsets and more. Today, we highlight five notable upsets on the ATP Tour this season (excluding Grand Slams).

Shock is part of the ATP Tour’s DNA, but each season brings some events that reshape the annual storyline.

In 2025, something frustrating happened that changed momentum, launched careers, and sometimes even silenced stadiums. Here, ATPTour.com takes a look at five of the most surprising upsets on the ATP Tour this year.

5) Halle, R2: Bublik d. Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
In 2025, Jannik Sinner fell only twice before the final of an event, one of those rare falls coming from Alexander Bublik in an inspired moment on the smooth turf of the Halle Terra Wortmann Open.

Just two weeks after winning just six games at Roland Garros and losing to the then-world’s No. 1 sinner, Bublik returned with his unpredictable magic all the way back. On a surface improvised for him, the Kazakhstani lit up the ATP 500 event with 36 winners and a fearless combination of touch and power to earn his first win against the PIF ATP No. 1 player and end Sinner’s 66-match winning streak against players outside the top 20.

“We are tennis players and we try to win every match, but this was a special match,” Bublik said after defeating Halle to retain the title. “I’ve never beaten the No. 1 player in the world. It’s an achievement. I kept serving. I tried to seize the key moments. He’s an unbelievable player and I didn’t think I could beat him.”

Bublik carried that momentum all the way to the Halle title – the first of four titles in his best season of his career, which ultimately elevated him to a career-high world ranking of 11th. Sinner, meanwhile, bounced back in true champion fashion, turning disappointment into motivation for his first title at Wimbledon three weeks later.

4) Cincinnati R4: Altman d. Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
Terence Atmane came into the Cincinnati Open with a 1-4 Tour record this season and came away as one of the breakout surprises. The French qualifier, who is ranked No. 136 in the world, defeated fourth seed and home favorite Taylor Fritz, one of the hottest players on the ATP Tour this summer, to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time.

Altman refused to be intimidated against an in-form Fritz, who already had a tour-leading 13 grass-court wins and had reached the Toronto semi-finals the week before. According to Infosys ATP statistics, he matched the American’s serve power, blasting 13 aces and scoring 82 percent of his points on first serve.

Altman’s doubts were evident as he threw his racquet into the sky after hitting a volley winner to seal the biggest win of his career. In the quarterfinals, the 23-year-old defeated the second top-10 player of the week, Holger Rune, before losing to Sinner in the semifinals.

“What a week it has been. I have to say, what a week it has been,” said Atmane, who cracked the top 100 for the first time. “I’m happy that my work is finally paying off. But as I said to the coach, it’s just a tournament and I need to repeat this level every day, every week, to get to where they are.”

3) Indian Wells R2: Van de Zandschulp d. Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
Some players look to a draw to help them settle; Botic van de Zandschulp appears to be becoming the opposite. The Dutchman, best known for his victory over Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open, added another giant to his list by defeating five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic at the BNP Paribas Open.

Vander Zandschulp, who entered the main draw as the lucky loser, took full advantage. After an uncharacteristically error-strewn opening set, Djokovic began to find his rhythm again, but the Dutchman got through it with excellent fighting and timely attacks. His decisive break at 3-1 in the deciding set (in which he hit two superb winners) proved the turning point and he finished the match in composed fashion to level the Lexus ATP Head-to-Head series at 1-1.

“When I reflect on the match, obviously I see more that I could have done more, but … he hit some really good points to break my serve,” Djokovic admitted. “But just by putting myself in that position, I shouldn’t have allowed myself to do that.”

It was Vander Zandschulp’s first back-to-back win all season and his eighth career victory over a top-10 player. At the same time, Djokovic also suffered his first three-game losing streak since 2018.

2) Miami R2: Goffin d. Alcaraz 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
David Goffin’s career has always been fraught with danger. Even when he was struggling, he was able to return to the throwback form he used against Roger Federer in the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals title match.

That version of the Belgian reappeared at the Miami Open at ETA – and Alcaraz was the one caught in the crossfire. After starting the season with five consecutive tour-level losses, Goffin regained some traction with a confidence boost over Ben Shelton in Acapulco.

But against Alcaraz under the lights in Miami, he displayed the ruthlessness and timing that once made him No. 7 in the world. The 34-year-old absorbed the Spaniard’s shooting prowess and countered with a string of clean winners to complete a stunning comeback – his third consecutive win over a top three player.

“It feels great. Sometimes some games are tough and you have to fight and you’re just happy to be in the stadium for the second round,” Goffin said. “That’s why I continue to play tennis, to have matches like this in the stadium and play some great tennis. [I was] Just trying to enjoy the moment. “

1) Shanghai SF Express: Vacherot d. Djokovic 6-3, 6-4
Valentin Vaccello’s breakthrough at the Rolex Shanghai Masters signaled the arrival of a new class of contenders, with record four-time champion Djokovic himself unable to resist.

The world number 204 emerged victorious in qualifying and preserved the most perfect performance of a fairy-tale week with a cool, clinical performance to beat the Serb in the semi-finals. Despite Djokovic’s obvious physical struggles, Vaccello remained locked in, taking control of the match with rock-solid baseline shots and sharp serves to claim the biggest win of his career.

It was a continuation of a dream that saw him defeat his cousin Arthur Lindknecht in the final to become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history. Before Shanghai, the Monaco starlet had only won one ATP Tour title, but now he is an ATP Tour champion and a top-50 player.

“It’s crazy. First of all, being on the other side of the court [from Novak] “It was an incredible experience,” said Vacherote, who jumped 164 spots to No. 40 in the PIF ATP Rankings following his participation in the tournament. “I think I learned a lot from him from this game. Even for myself, I have a lot to retain.

“It was an hour and 40 minutes of pure joy, even though not many people wanted me to continue. It’s really appreciated that he’s here. He’s won it four times. When they announced him, I was a little lost with all the titles he had, but it was an unreal experience.”