ATP star with four titles in 2025 suffers shock defeat to world number 204 in Shanghai

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It was a day full of upsets at the Shanghai Masters, as several big names exited the competition.

The first to fall was Ben Shelton, who lost to David Goffin, 2-6, 4-6, in his first match back after suffering an injury at the US Open.

His fellow American, Frances Tiafoe, was then beaten by Yannick Hanfmann, suffering his fifth consecutive defeat.

Seeded players Casper Ruud and Flavio Cobolli were also knocked out, before world number four Taylor Fritz narrowly escaped defeat against Fabian Marozsan in a third-set tiebreaker.

However, perhaps the biggest upset of the day came when a top 20 star with four titles to his name in 2025 lost to a player ranked outside the world top 200.

Alexander Bublik loses to world number 204 Valentin Vacherot

Just two weeks removed from his latest title win in Hangzhou, Bublik took on Monegasque qualifier Valentin Vacherot in round two of the Shanghai Masters.

The Kazakh star made a strong start, taking the first set 6-3, but couldn’t finish the job.

Vacherot fought back to secure the win in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, defeating a top-30 player for the first time in his career.

Bublik was the heavy favorite before the match, travelling to Shanghai as a four-time ATP champion in 2025.

Only Carlos Alcaraz has won more tour-level titles than Bublik this year, although neither player will be adding to their tallies at the Shanghai Masters.

For all his success at the lower-tiered ATP 250 events over recent months, Bublik has struggled at the bigger tournaments.

Having now lost his opening matches in Beijing and Shanghai, what’s next for the exciting Kazakh star?

ATP Finals qualification seems unlikely for Alexander Bublik after latest defeat

When Bublik won his fourth title of the year in Hangzhou, things were looking good for him to qualify for the ATP Finals for the first time in his career.

Speaking on Sky Sports, former British star Naomi Broady assessed his chances.

“[Alexander] Bublik is having an incredible year, I feel like he could be a sneaky option if he continues on with his form, especially going on to the indoor events in Europe, towards the back end of the year, that’s where he can be really creative,” she said.

Unfortunately for Bublik, back-to-back defeats have put a halt to his charge towards ATP Finals qualification, and he will need to produce something pretty special over the next month or so if he wants to make the trip to Turin.

Needing to close down a near-1000-point gap to Lorenzo Musetti, the player occupying the final qualification place, Bublik’s chances look slim.

That’s not to say there’s nothing left for him to play for in 2025, as the 28-year-old can still add to his tally of four titles.

When he returns to action, he’ll do so at the Vienna Open in Austria, on indoor hard courts.

Competing as the number-seven seed, Bublik will be in with a great chance of picking up his fifth ATP title of the season.

The 2025 Vienna Open ATP 500 event is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 20.