Alexander Bublik reached Shanghai’s last sixteen after missing two set points in the opening tiebreak. On October 11, 2026, he beat Brandon Nakashima 6-7(7), 6-3, 7-6(5) in the third round.
Bublik led the first tiebreak 6-4. Both closing opportunities disappeared, and he ultimately lost it 7-9, turning a potential opening-set advantage into a recovery task.
He hit 16 aces across the second and third sets. After taking the second 6-3, he won the deciding tiebreak 7-5 to complete the two-hour, 27-minute match.
The meeting between the 19th and 16th seeds was their first at tour level. Bublik next faced top seed Alexander Zverev, who beat Halys in three sets for his 60th win of the season that day.
