KITZBÜHEL/STARNBERG, July 24, 2026
Alexander Bublik moved to within one victory of successfully defending his Generali Open Kitzbühel title after producing another commanding performance to reach the final of the ATP 250 event in Austria.
The top-seeded Kazakh defeated Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-4 in Friday’s semifinal to advance to his second consecutive championship match in the Austrian Alps. In doing so, Bublik became the first player since Robin Haase in 2011 and 2012 to reach back-to-back Kitzbühel finals.
TITLE DEFENCE: STILL ON 🔥
Bublik is back in the Kitzbühel final after beating Etcheverry 6-3 6-4!#GeneraliOpen pic.twitter.com/n2EtFPvFbG
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 24, 2026
The World No. 11 will contest the 17th ATP Tour final of his career, having won nine of his previous 16 title matches.
“I played a great match and executed my tactics very well,” Bublik said. “I’m very happy with the result and with the way I played.”
Awaiting him in Saturday’s final is France’s Quentin Halys, who defeated Bublik in a thrilling three-set encounter in Gstaad just one week ago.
“He played great when he beat me last week in Gstaad,” Bublik said. “It certainly wasn’t luck that he won. Tomorrow we have the rematch, and I’m sure it’s going to be a great match.”
Halys had to work considerably harder to secure his place in the final. The 29-year-old Frenchman edged Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 7-6(2) in a gripping semifinal, eventually prevailing in a deciding-set tie-break after squandering no fewer than eight match points.
Backed by a vocal crowd that included many German fans, Hanfmann fought his way back into the contest and forced the dramatic finish, but Halys held his nerve when it mattered most.
“I think I played a very good match,” Halys said. “In the second set I lost my serve and a little bit of my concentration. Yannick came back, but I stayed focused and confident. I’m happy that I managed to win in the end.”
The Frenchman believes Kitzbühel’s altitude and quick conditions perfectly suit his aggressive style of play.
“I think I play well at altitude. These conditions are great for my game because it’s difficult for opponents to break my serve. I’m also very aggressive from the baseline, and that helps me a lot.“
He also praised the speed of the playing conditions.
“It’s probably one of the fastest courts of the season combined with one of the fastest balls. I’m happy with the way I’m playing at the moment, and my focus is already on tomorrow.”
Despite defeating Bublik only a week ago, Halys is not considering himself the favorite.
“I definitely won’t be the favorite tomorrow, but I think I have the weapons in my game to beat him.”
Halys has now become the third consecutive Frenchman to reach the Generali Open final, following Hugo Gaston in 2024 and Arthur Cazaux in 2025. It will be the second ATP Tour final of his career after finishing runner-up in Gstaad in 2024.
