To mark the end of another exciting season, ATPTour.com unveils our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. Today we highlight five notable ATP Tour upsets (excluding Grand Slams) from this season.
Shocks are part of the ATP Tour’s DNA, but every season brings a handful of shocks that reshape the year’s storylines.
In 2025, there were upsets that changed momentum, launched careers and sometimes left stadiums stunned. Here, ATPTour.com counts the five most surprising ATP Tour upsets of the year.
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5) Halle, R2: Bublik d. Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Only twice in 2025 has Jannik Sinner fallen before the final of an event, and one of those rare stumbles came courtesy of an inspired Alexander Bublik on the slippery lawns of the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.
Just two weeks after winning just six games in a humbling loss to the then world No. 1 sinner at Roland Garros, Bublik returned with his unpredictable magic on full blast. On a surface made for his improvisation, the Kazakhstani lit up the ATP 500 event with 36 winners and a fearless mix of touch and power, earning his first win over a No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings and snapping Sinner’s 66-match winning streak against players outside the Top 20.
“We are tennis players and we try to win every match we play, but it is a special one,” Bublik said after beating the defending champion from Halle. “I had never beaten a world No. 1 before. It’s an achievement. I kept serving. I tried to stay by my side. He’s an incredible player and I didn’t think I could beat him.”
Bublik carried that momentum all the way to the Halle title – his first trophy of a four-title season and a career-best that ultimately took him to career No. 11 in the world rankings. Sinner, meanwhile, bounced back in true championship fashion, turning the disappointment into fuel for his first victory at Wimbledon three weeks later.
4) Cincinnati R4: Atmane d. Frits 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
Terence Atmane arrived at the Cincinnati Open with a 1-4 tour-level record for the season and left as one of the breakout surprises. Competing as world number 136, the French qualifier stunned fourth seed and home favorite Taylor Fritz – one of the ATP Tour’s most popular players over the summer – to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.
Against a fully in-form Fritz, who had racked up thirteen victories on the grass court and reached the Toronto semi-finals the week before, Atmane refused to be intimidated. He matched the American’s heavy serve, firing 13 aces and winning 82 percent of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Atmane’s disbelief was evident as he threw his racket skyward after hitting a drive-volley winner to seal the biggest win of his career. In the quarter-finals, the 23-year-old defeated his second Top 10 player of the week, Holger Rune, before falling to Sinner in the last four.
“What a week. What a week, I must say,” said Atmane, who was in the Top 100 for the first time. “I’m so happy that my work is finally paying off. But as I said to my coach, this is just a tournament and I have to repeat this kind of level every week and every day to be in their place.”
3) Indian Wells R2: Van de Zandschulp d. Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
Some players hope for draws to help them settle down; Botic van de Zandschulp becomes someone who seems to prefer the opposite. Already known for toppling Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open, the Dutchman added another giant to his list by beating five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic at the BNP Paribas Open.
Van de Zandschulp came into the main tournament as a lucky loser and took full advantage of it. After an uncharacteristically flawless opening set, Djokovic began to rediscover his rhythm, but the Dutchman weathered the storm with exceptional scrambling and timely aggression. His decisive break for 3-1 in the final set – in which he hit two exceptional winners – proved the turning point as he completed a composed victory to level their Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 1-1.
“When I look back at this match, obviously I see a little bit more about what I could have done more, but… he played some really good points to break my serve,” Djokovic admitted. “But by putting myself in that position, I shouldn’t allow myself to do that.”
It was Van de Zandschulp’s first string of consecutive wins all season, and his eighth career victory over a Top 10 player. It also gave Djokovic his first three-match losing streak since 2018.
2) Miami R2: Goffin d. Alcaraz 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
David Goffin’s career has always carried a silent danger. Even when he’s struggling, he can summon the vintage form he once used against Roger Federer en route to the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals title match.
At the Miami Open, presented by Itau, that version of the Belgian appeared again – and Alcaraz was the one caught in the crossfire. After opening the season with five straight defeats at tour level, Goffin had rediscovered some grip with a confidence-boosting victory over Ben Shelton in Acapulco.
But against Alcaraz, under the lights of Miami, he discovered the ruthlessness and timing that once made him No. 7 in the world. The 34-year-old absorbed the Spaniard’s shot and countered with flurries of clean, biting winners to complete a stunning comeback: his third consecutive victory over a Top 3 player.
“It feels great. Sometimes some matches are tough and you have to fight, and then you are happy to have a second round like that in a stadium,” Goffin said. “That’s why I keep playing tennis, to play those kinds of matches in a stadium, to play good tennis. [I was] I just try to enjoy the moment.”
1) Shanghai SF: Vacherot d. Djokovic 6-3, 6-4
Valentin Vacherot’s breakthrough at the Rolex Shanghai Masters marked the arrival of a new contender, and four-time record champion Djokovic himself was powerless to oppose it.
The world number 204, who came through qualifying, saved his most complete performance of a fairytale week for the semi-final, where he pulled off a calm, clinical upset over the Serbian. Despite Djokovic showing obvious physical problems, Vacherot remained locked in and dictated rallies with rock-solid baseline shots and laser-sharp serves to claim the biggest victory of his career.
It was the continuation of a dream run, which he completed by beating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final to become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history. Before Shanghai, the Monegasque breakout star had just one ATP Tour victory to his name, but now he was an ATP Tour winner and Top 50 player.
“This is just crazy. First of all, just being on the other side of the field.” [from Novak] was an incredible experience,” said Vacherot, who catapulted 164 places to No. 40 in the PIF ATP Rankings after his run. “I think I have so much to learn from him from this match. Even for myself I have a lot to keep.
“It was an hour and forty minutes of pure joy, even though not many people wanted me to continue. He’s really appreciated here. He’s won four times. I got a little lost in all his titles when they announced him, but it was a surreal experience.”
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