The real reason why Alexander Bublik could be avoiding playing the US Open hard court swing despite his great form 

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Alexander Bublik is one of the most in-form players on the ATP Tour at the moment.

Bublik has won 22 of his last 25 matches, enabling him to reach 12th in the race to the ATP Finals.

This includes Bublik beating Jannik Sinner, reaching the Roland Garros quarterfinals and winning three main tour titles.

As a result of his recent form, Bublik is seen as a potential dark horse for the US Open, but that may not actually be the case.

Why Alexander Bublik could be avoiding playing tournaments before the US Open

After Bublik won the ATP tournament in Kitzbuhel, many were expecting him to continue this on into the US Open hard court swing.

However, that has turned out not to be the case, with Bublik now withdrawing from both Masters 1000 tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati.

There is a lot of confusion about why this is, but his previous record during the US Open hard court swing may provide some explanation.

Of the three main events during the North American hard court season (Canada, Cincinnati, US Open), Bublik has only ever won six of his 18 matches.

Bublik has never won more than two matches at any of these tournaments, which came during his US Open debut in 2019.

The Kazakhstani has also only ever beaten one player ranked inside the top 60 at these tournaments, with Bublik beating Dan Evans at the Canadian Open in 2021.

Bublik had competed in Canada for four consecutive years until 2025, but his withdrawal from the Cincinnati Masters should not come as a huge surprise.

The last time that Bublik played in Cincinnati was in 2021, when he lost in the second round to Grigor Dimitrov.

Alexander Bublik’s career record on hard courts

Although hard courts are the surface that Bublik has the worst win-loss record on, it is also the surface where he has won the most titles on.

However, all of these ATP 250 titles have come on indoor hard courts, which Bublik will not be able to experience at the US Open unless he is playing under the roof of either the Arthur Ashe Stadium or the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Bublik’s poor record on North American hard courts is not exclusive to the US Open swing, as he has only ever won two of his eight matches at the sunshine double of Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

The world number 25 will be hoping that he can continue his form when the US Open begins on Sunday, 24 August.