By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday January 31, 2025
Aleksandar Kovacevic cruised past defending champion Alexander Bublik into his first ATP semifinal since 2022.
Photo Source: TTV
Aleksandar Kovacevic ended Alexander Bublik’s bid for a third career title in Montpellier with a pitch-perfect performance on Friday evening. The American, fresh off a challenger title in Oeiras Portugal a few weeks ago, is into his second career semifinal and first since 2022, with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Incredibly, Kovacevic hit 33 winners against just six unforced errors and he left Bublik baffled in the backcourt for much of the contest. At one point the defending champ called for one of the ballkids to serve a point for him. When the kid won the point, Bublik tried to use it to claim the game before it was actually over.
“I was not expecting to play against the ball kid for a point, but you always know there’s going to be something funny with him,” Kovacevic said. “It’s fun for the fans, but for me, and any opponent that he has, it’s important to stay locked in and focused.”
It was a lighthearted moment in a match that was played in good spirits between the two. Bublik tried his share of underarm serves, even hitting an ace on one, but he was broken three times and failed to convert on any of his eight break opportunities against the 26-year-old World No.102.
Bublik hit seven double faults and won 32 percent of second serve points.
Kovacevic made it hard for him even when his shots were landing in.
“I had a rough end to last year, and started working really hard this off-season to turn things around and play a little free,” Kovacevic said. “Good things are happening.”
Kovacevic will face Andrey Rublev in the final four. The Russian advanced when Nikoloz Basilashvili retired down 5-2 in the first set.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Kovacevic said of his fifth career matchup with a Top-10 player (0-4 lifetime). “It’s obviously a challenge – he’s been Top-10 for a long time.”
The lower half semifinal will feature Jesper de Jong and second-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime.