Jack Draper was knocked out of the French Open by Alexander Bublik on Monday, bringing an end to the world No. 5’s hopes of winning the first major of his career.
Draper had been in fine form at Roland Garros as he cruised his way to the fourth-round match-up. But Bublik, who has recently dropped to a ranking of No. 62 having been as high as No. 17 in 2024, grew into the contest on Court Suzanne-Lenglen and played some outstanding shots on his way to a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
“It’s a really tough loss to take,” Draper said.
“Even though I’ve come up quickly this year and I’ve got myself to a high ranking, it’s been a steep learning curve for me. I’ll learn from this. I’ll get better and I’ll use it to my advantage.”
The pair went toe to toe in the opening set, with Draper eventually getting the break after a double fault in the 11th game.
Bublik had shown flashes of what was to come in the early stages of the match, but he hit his stride in the second set with his drop-shot leaving Draper stranded.
After seeing his best-laid plans quickly unravel, Draper battled to avoid defeat in the final game as he saved a match point and had five break points, but he failed to convert them.
Bublik will face Jannik Sinner or Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals after becoming the first man from Kazakhstan to reach the last eight.
“Sometimes in life there is only one chance, and I had a feeling that was mine. I couldn’t let it slip. Standing here is the best moment of my life — period,” an emotional Bublik said in his post-match interview.
“Thank you guys, that was amazing. I’m standing here like I won the thing, but what can I say! I can’t cry here — come on, let me be in peace!
“I still have a match to go, I’m a professional tennis player and I’ve got to get ready.”
Earlier on Monday, Cameron Norrie‘s French Open run also came to an end in the fourth round as he was outclassed by Novak Djokovic.
