![\"Valentin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/vacherot-best-of-2025-atp-upsets-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n ATP Tour
\n Vacherot, Bublik wins among biggest ATP Tour upsets of 2025<\/p>\n
Atmane, Van de Zandschulp, Goffin also feature in Top 5 list<\/p>\n
November 29, 2025<\/p>\n
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Lintao Zhang\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Valentin Vacherot defeats Novak Djokovic in straight sets at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
\n By Jerome Coombe<\/p>\n
To mark the end of another thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Best Of’ series<\/a>, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. Today we highlight five standout ATP Tour upsets (not including Grand Slams) from this season.<\/p>\n Shocks are part of the ATP Tour\u2019s DNA, but every season brings a handful that reshape the storylines of the year.<\/p>\n In 2025, there were upsets that shifted momentum, launched careers and, at times, left stadiums stunned into silence. Here, ATPTour.com counts down the five most surprising ATP Tour upsets of the year.<\/p>\n 5) Halle, R2: Bublik d. Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Just two weeks after winning only six games in a humbling loss to then-World No. 1 Sinner at Roland Garros<\/a>, Bublik returned with his unpredictable magic dialled all the way up. 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 victory over a No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings and snapping Sinner\u2019s 66-match winning streak against players outside the Top 20.<\/p>\n “We are tennis players and we try to win every match we play but it is a special one,” Bublik said after toppling the defending Halle champion. “I had never beaten a No. 1 in the world. It is an accomplishment. I kept serving. I tried to be clutch. He is an unbelievable player and I was not thinking that I could beat him.\u201d<\/p>\n Bublik carried that momentum all the way to the Halle title \u2014 his first trophy of a four-title, career-best season that eventually lifted him to a career-high World No. 11. Sinner, meanwhile, rebounded in true champion fashion, turning the disappointment into fuel for his maiden Wimbledon<\/a> triumph three weeks later.<\/p>\n 4) Cincinnati R4: Atmane d. Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 Against a fully in-form Fritz, who had piled up a Tour-leading 13 grass-court wins and reached the Toronto semi-finals the week prior, Atmane refused to be intimidated. He matched the American\u2019s heavy serving blow for blow, firing 13 aces and winning 82 per cent of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.<\/p>\n Atmane\u2019s disbelief was evident as he tossed his racquet skyward after striking a drive-volley winner to seal the biggest win of his career. In the quarter-finals, the 23-year-old downed his second Top 10 player of the week, Holger Rune<\/a>, before falling to Sinner in the last four.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a week. What a week, I have to say,\u201d said Atmane, who cracked the Top 100 for the first time. \u201cI\u2019m so happy that finally my work is paying off. But as I said with my coach, this is just a tournament and I need to repeat this kind of level every single week on a daily basis to be at their spot.\u201d<\/p>\n 3) Indian Wells R2: Van de Zandschulp d. Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 Entering the main draw as a lucky loser, Van de Zandschulp took full advantage. After an uncharacteristically error-strewn 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 \u2014 in which he hit two exceptional winners \u2014 proved the turning point as he closed out a composed win to level their Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 1-1.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I reflect on this match, obviously I’ll see a little bit more about what I could have done more, but\u2026 he played some really good points to break my serve,\u201d Djokovic admitted. \u201cBut just putting myself in that position, I shouldn’t allow myself to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n It was Van de Zandschulp\u2019s first set of back-to-back victories all season, and his eighth career victory over a Top 10 player. It simultaneously handed Djokovic his first three-match losing streak since 2018.<\/p>\n 2) Miami R2: Goffin d. Alcaraz 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 At the Miami Open presented by Itau<\/a>, that version of the Belgian reappeared \u2014 and Alcaraz was the one caught in the crossfire. After opening the season with five consecutive tour-level defeats, Goffin had rediscovered some traction with a confidence-boosting win over Ben Shelton<\/a> in Acapulco.<\/p>\n But against Alcaraz, under the Miami lights, he unearthed the ruthlessness and timing that once made him the World No. 7. The 34-year-old absorbed the Spaniard\u2019s shotmaking and countered with flurries of clean, biting winners to complete a stunning comeback \u2014 his third straight victory over a Top 3 player.<\/p>\n “It feels amazing. Sometimes some matches are tough and you have to fight, and you’re happy to have a second round like that in a stadium,” said Goffin. “That’s why I continue to play tennis, to have that kind of match in a stadium, to play some good tennis. [I was] just trying to enjoy the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n 1) Shanghai SF: Vacherot d. Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 The World No. 204, who came through qualifying, saved his most complete performance of a fairytale week for the semi-finals, where he delivered a calm, clinical upset over the Serbian. Despite Djokovic showing clear physical struggles, Vacherot stayed locked in, dictating rallies with rock-solid baseline hitting and laser-sharp serving to claim the biggest win of his career.<\/p>\n![\"2025](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/atp-awards-2025-nominees-are_728x90.gif\")
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Only twice in 2025 did Jannik Sinner<\/a> fall before the final of an event, and one of those rare stumbles came courtesy of an inspired Alexander Bublik<\/a> on the slick lawns at the Terra Wortmann Open<\/a> in Halle.<\/p>\n
Terence Atmane<\/a> arrived at the Cincinnati Open<\/a> with a 1-4 tour-level record for the season and left as one of its breakout surprises. Competing as the World No. 136, the French qualifier stunned fourth seed and home favourite Taylor Fritz<\/a> \u2014 one of the ATP Tour\u2019s hottest players over the summer \u2014 to reach his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.<\/p>\n
Some players hope for draws that help them settle in; Botic van de Zandschulp<\/a> is becoming someone who seems to prefer the opposite. Already known for toppling Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> at the 2024 US Open<\/a>, the Dutchman added another giant to his list by defeating five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic<\/a> at the BNP Paribas Open<\/a>.<\/p>\n
David Goffin<\/a>\u2019s career has always carried a quiet danger. Even when struggling, he can summon the vintage form that he once used against Roger Federer<\/a> en route to the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals<\/a> title match.<\/p>\n
Valentin Vacherot<\/a>\u2019s breakthrough at the Rolex Shanghai Masters<\/a> marked the arrival of a new contender, and record four-time champion Djokovic himself was powerless to resist it.<\/p>\n