Tallon Griekspoor Upsets Bublik, Advances to Dubai Quarters

Tallon Griekspoor stuns Alexander Bublik in Dubai

Tallon Griekspoor defeats Alexander Bublik in straight sets to reach Dubai quarterfinals. Griekspoor upsets second seed Bublik 6-3, 7-6(4).

Dutchman Griekspoor beats Kazakh star Bublik, advances in ATP Dubai...

Tallon Griekspoor upset second seed Alexander Bublik in straight sets, securing his spot in the Dubai quarterfinals. Griekspoor won 6-3, 7-6(4), ending a four-match losing streak against Bublik.

Bublik, ranked 10th in the world, had a strong start to the season, winning the Hong Kong Open in January. He's also a former Dubai finalist, having lost to Ugo Humbert in 2024.

Griekspoor bounced back from a Rotterdam quarterfinal loss with a straight-sets win over Otto Virtanen, then took down Bublik in the Dubai round of 16. The Dutchman was on fire against Bublik, breaking serve early and racing to a 3-0 lead.

Griekspoor's strong service games and smart play paid off, hitting 13 winners to take the first set 6-3. He played it smart, keeping risks low and capitalizing on Bublik's mistakes.

Griekspoor staunchly defended against Bublik's attacks in the second set, keeping a perfect service record intact by saving all three break points. Bublik struggled with Griekspoor's powerful first serve, winning just 5 of 40 points on the Dutchman's serve in the match.

An impressive victory 👏

Griekspoor defeats Bublik 6-3 7-6 and is through to the quarter-finals#DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/HYrxQGwQeK

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 25, 2026

The second set was tightly contested, with five love games in the last seven, ultimately going to a tiebreak. Griekspoor and Bublik were evenly matched in the tiebreak, trading points, but Bublik's game unravelled at the end. He lost his last four service games, handing Griekspoor two match points.

Griekspoor converted his second match point, securing a 7-6(4) win and knocking Bublik out of the Dubai tournament. It's his seventh top-10 win. Next up, Griekspoor faces either Jakub Mensik or Alexander Popyrin in the quarters.