Alexander Bublik fought back from a set down for the fourth time in five days to beat Borna Coric 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 in the final in Montpellier on Sunday.
“I was on the verge of losing in my opening round, now here I am standing with the title,” the Kazakh said on court after his victory.
Bublik had dropped the first set in his opener against Denis Shapovalov and then fell behind again to Alexander Shevchenko and Felix Auger-Aliassime. He is the first player to win an ATP event after losing the opening set in every match.
It was a fourth title on the circuit for the 26-year-old, who won in Montpellier in 2022 and should reach a career-high ranking of 23rd on Monday.
Bublik raced into a 4-1 lead in the first set before Coric fought back.
In the second set, Bublik began to lure Coric to the net with drop shots and managed to break, to lead again 4-1.
This time, he held on to force a decider.
Bublik, impressive on serve with a total of 19 aces, broke a visibly annoyed Coric early in the third set.
Bublik then saved break points in the fifth and seventh games before lifting the trophy.
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