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.
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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.
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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.
RankNameNumber of titlesTitles1Carlos Alcaraz8French Open, US Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, Italian Open, Cincinnati Open, Rotterdam Open, Queen’s Club Championships, Japan Open2Alexander Bublik4Halle Open, Swiss Open, Austrian Open, Hangzhou OpenT-3Jannik Sinner3Australian Open, Wimbledon, China OpenT-3Luciano Darderi3Grand Prix Hassan II, Swedish Open, Croatia OpenT-5Flavio Cobolli2Hamburg Open, Tiriac OpenT-5Denis Shapovalov2Dallas Open, Los Cabos OpenT-5Felix Auger-Aliassime2Adelaide International, Open OccitanieT-5Taylor Fritz2Stuttgart Open, Eastbourne InternationalPlayers to have won multiple ATP titles in 2025
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.
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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.
RankNameCountryPointsStatus1Carlos AlcarazSpain11,040Qualified2Jannik SinnerItaly8,460Qualified3Novak DjokovicSerbia4,230Currently qualifying4Alexander ZverevGermany4,190Currently qualifying5Taylor FritzUSA3,785Currently qualifying6Ben SheltonUSA3,720Currently qualifying7Alex de MinaurAustralia3,355Currently qualifying8Lorenzo MusettiItaly3,345Currently qualifying9Jack DraperGreat Britain2,990Injured – Won’t play10Felix Auger-AliassimeCanada2,715Not currently qualifying11Casper RuudNorway2,495Not currently qualifying12Andrey RublevRussia2,410Not currently qualifying13Alexander BublikKazakhstan2,395Not currently qualifying14Holger RuneDenmark2,340Not currently qualifying15Karen KhachanovRussia2,220Not currently qualifyingTop 15 in the Live ATP Race 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.
