The second round of the 2025 Roland Garros is shaping up to be an interesting match as Alex de Minaur, who’s seeded ninth, will face Alexander Bublik this Thursday. De Minaur barely survived a tough first-round match against Laslo Djere, managing to win in straight sets but saving four set points in that final set. On the other hand, Bublik seemed pretty solid, winning his first round against James Duckworth without dropping a set. They last played each other about a year ago at Indian Wells, so it’s cool to see this matchup again on the clay courts.
How Both Players Have Been DoingHow Both Players Have Been Doing
Alex de Minaur has been having a pretty good year on clay. Honestly, he’s playing better on this surface than many expected, with 10 wins so far and making it to the round of 16 in all the big clay tournaments he entered. He even got to the semifinals in Monte Carlo before losing to Lorenzo Musetti. What’s impressive is that he’s been almost unbeatable in Grand Slams against players ranked outside the top 30, with a 20-match winning streak. De Minaur’s confidence on clay is definitely growing, and he’s had some memorable wins, like beating Daniil Medvedev earlier this year. Plus, he reached the quarterfinals of the French Open last year, which was his best Slam run so far.
Alexander Bublik has had a decent run on clay too, with a 12-5 record this year. He’s shown he can challenge some tough players, beating Rublev in Madrid and pushing Casper Ruud hard in Rome. Recently, he won a Challenger event in Turin, which might give him some extra momentum. But the problem for Bublik is that he hasn’t made it past the second round in any Grand Slam yet, despite trying eight times. So, this French Open could be his chance to finally break that pattern if he plays well.
Head-to-Head and What It Means
If you look at their past matches, Alex de Minaur has the clear edge. He’s won all three meetings they’ve had so far, including a final in Antalya back in 2021 where Bublik had to retire because of an ankle injury. The matches they did finish were straight-set wins for Minaur, so he seems to have Bublik’s number. That kind of history might give de Minaur some extra confidence going into this one.
Here’s a quick look at their career numbers for context:
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De Minaur is ranked 9, Bublik is ranked 62.
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De Minaur’s career win-loss is 276-165, Bublik’s is 160-163.
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This year, de Minaur has won 26 matches and lost 10, while Bublik has 19 wins and 15 losses.
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De Minaur has 9 career titles; Bublik has 4.
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Neither has won a Grand Slam yet.
Who’s Likely to Win?
Honestly, I feel like de Minaur has the upper hand here. His game suits clay really well, and he’s been mentally strong this season. Bublik could make things tough, especially if he keeps his confidence up from winning the Challenger recently. But based on what we’ve seen this year, de Minaur’s experience and steady form should see him through, maybe in four sets if Bublik fights hard.
