Alexander Bublik is safely through to the fourth round in Melbourne.
The Kazakh star defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4, to book his place in the Australian Open last 16 for the first time in his career.
He has yet to drop a set at the Australian Open, but will face a tricky test in his next match.
Who has been the best player at the Australian Open so far?
The home favorite Alex de Minaur awaits Bublik in the fourth round.
Interviewed after beating Etcheverry, Bublik was told he had just made history and previewed his last 16 clash with De Minaur.
Alexander Bublik becomes the first Kazakh player to reach the 4R of every Grand Slam
Securing the win against Etcheverry, Bublik became the first player from Kazakhstan to reach the last 16 at all four major tournaments.
| Grand Slam | Best performance | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Australian Open | 4R – 2026* | 6-7 | 46% |
| French Open | QF – 2025 | 8-7 | 53% |
| Wimbledon | 4R – 2023 | 9-7 | 56% |
| US Open | 4R – 2025 | 7-7 | 50% |
When asked if he knew he’d just made history for his country, Bublik admitted he didn’t.
“No,” he said.
“I mean, I was aware that I’m ok for Kazakhstan, quite a good player in the past six months, so I thought, ok, if I made another milestone for my career that would be great, and to make it here in Australia is a big pleasure for me, thank you guys.”
Bublik then explained how he’s improved recently.
“I guess I matured a bit, and I really like being home, to be honest,” he said.
“I realised quickly when I dropped in the rankings, if I play well and I make a lot of points in a few events, I can have more weeks off.”
He also shared his thoughts on his next opponent, De Minaur.
“Yeah, I play Demon, and I hope it’s going to be a great match,” said Bublik.
“He’s a local hero, he’s a great player, we’ve shared a lot of matches together, and I can’t wait to step on the court with him.”
De Minaur and Bublik have met five times previously on the ATP Tour.
Alex de Minaur and Alexander Bublik’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 Paris Masters – QF | Alexander Bublik | Alex de Minaur | 6-7, 6-4, 7-5 |
| 2025 French Open – 2R | Alexander Bublik | Alex de Minaur | 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2024 Indian Wells – 3R | Alex de Minaur | Alexander Bublik | 7-5, 6-0 |
| 2021 Barcelona Open – 2R | Alex de Minaur | Alexander Bublik | 7-6, 6-2 |
| 2021 Antalya Open – F | Alex de Minaur | Alexander Bublik | 2-0 (RET) |
- Alex de Minaur (3-2) Alexander Bublik
De Minaur leads their head-to-head 3-2, but the momentum is firmly with Bublik, who beat the Aussie twice in 2025.
Whether he can level their head-to-head at 3-3 when they face off in Melbourne remains to be seen…
Alexander Bublik takes charge in the Race to Turin
It’s early days, but Bublik has been mightily impressive so far this year.
Nobody has accumulated more ATP Tour points than the Kazakh in 2026.
| Rank | Name | Country | 2026 Points |
| T-1 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 450 |
| T-1 | Alexander Bublik | Kazakhstan | 450 |
| 3 | Jakub Mensik | Czechia | 395 |
| 4 | Tomas Machac | Czechia | 350 |
| 5 | Sebastian Baez | Argentina | 330 |
| 6 | Hubert Hurkacz | Poland | 315 |
| 7 | Tommy Paul | USA | 300 |
| 8 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 285 |
Should he maintain his form through the remainder of the season, we could well see Bublik qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin.
He narrowly missed out on a place at the year-end finals in 2025, but travelled to Italy as an alternate.
There’s no doubt he’ll want to qualify properly this time around.
Felix Auger-Aliassime finished eighth in the Race to Turin last year, with 3,845 points.
Bublik has already picked up 12% of Auger-Aliassime’s 2025 points tally in less than a month.
What has been the biggest upset at the Australian Open so far?
There’s a long way to go, but he’s on the right track.
A deep run in Melbourne would certainly boost his chances, and there are still points on the table.
If Bublik can beat De Minaur in the fourth round, he’d earn himself another 200 points.
Only time will tell if we will see Bublik compete at the ATP Finals in November, but he won’t want to get ahead of himself.
For now, Bublik will focus on his fourth-round match with De Minaur at the Australian Open.
They will play for a place in the quarterfinals on Sunday, January 25.
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