Alexander Bublik, Corentin Moutet separated by umpire after contentious Phoenix Challenger match

For players who lost early at the BNP Paribas Open, the Phoenix Challenger in Arizona presents a happy hunting ground for them to sharpen their skills before heading off to the second of two consecutive ATP Masters 1000 events on the calendar in Miami. But for Alexander Bublik and Corentin Moutet on Friday, the Phoenix Country Club transformed into their own personal boxing ring.

Bublik and Moutet are two of the ATP tour's most mercurial players, and are no strangers to courting on- or off-court controversy. Couple that with losing win-loss records for both so far in 2025 (Bublik entered the week in Phoenix 2-8, losing in the first round of Indian Wells to breakout star Yosuke Watanuki, and Moutet 4-5), and the stage was set for something spicy when the two locked horns in Friday's quarterfinals.

The match started innocuously enough, with the Frenchman building a 6-2, 3-1 lead. But former Top 20 player Bublik, currently ranked No. 82, hit back, and won five straight points in the second-set tiebreak to push the match to a third set. He eventually built a 5-1 lead in the final set, before Moutet had a comeback effort of his own in store. Moutet won four straight games to pull the final set even, only to lose serve for a third time (after having two game points), affording Bublik the opportunity to serve for victory.

It was then that the match, after a two-plus up-and-down hours, went further off the rails. It all began when the returning Moutet attempted to slow the quick-serving Bublik down.

"I'm not ready," Moutet could be heard saying, only for Bublik to respond with a four-letter word: "I don't give a sh--."

The moment elicited laughter from spectators in real-time, but more serious scenes came after Bublik secured the 2-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 win moments later. Though the players shook hands, the traditional show of sportsmanship soon devolved as the players got in each other's faces in a verbal spat. While it was unclear exactly what was being said between the two, Bublik could be seen gesturing animatedly.

What was obvious, however, was Polish chair umpire Marta Mrozinska hopping down from her chair after shaking both players' hands in an attempt to diffuse the tension. Supervisor Jaime Chavez later came on court to provide backup as the contentious discussion continued while music played from the on-court speaker system—adding a further layer of surrealism to the scene.

The two players continued to jaw at each other, as Tennis Channel commentator Gil Gross described, even as Bublik walked off the court.

The bizarre events did little to shake the Kazakh in his next match however, as he upset top seed Nuno Borges of Portugal on Saturday to reach the final.

He will face Joao Fonseca for the title on Sunday, in a clash that tennis fans no doubt hope will be decided with blistering baseline shot-making, not through a war of words.