It's 'Hit the road, Jack' as Bublik ends Draper's Paris stay
PARIS - Britain's Jack Draper was sent packing from the French Open when he stumbled to a 5-7 6-3 6-2 6-4 fourth-round defeat against mercurial Kazakh Alexander Bublik on Monday.
The result ended the British presence in the singles at Roland Garros as Draper, seeded fifth, lost the plot after a promising opening set against Bublik, who will now face Russia's Andrey Rublev or world number one Jannik Sinner of Italy.
Draper, who had never got past the first round in Paris before this year, burst into the limelight by reaching the U.S. Open semi-finals in 2024 and had high hopes for the clay court Grand Slam having reached the Madrid Open final last month.
But Bublik tortured him with a barrage of drop shots (37), 12 of them winners, as he showed his full potential on the biggest stage to reach his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final.
"You know, sometimes in life there is only one chance and I had the feeling that today was mine, I was not going to let it slide," an emotional Bublik said on court.
"Standing here is the best moment of my life, period. That's amazing, merci mesdames et messieurs," he told the crowd, who broke into chants of 'Bubu, Bubu!'.
"I'm standing here like I won the thing. I can't cry here, let me be in peace, I'm a professional tennis player, I've got one more match, I've got to get ready."
After getting the measure of Draper's heavy hitting, Bublik loosened up and the last three sets were one-sided.
Things got tight when he served for the match as the man who took a trip to Vegas to unwind so he could come back and outplay the 'Robots' on the circuit served two double faults and got a taste of his own medicine when Draper set up break point with a superb drop shot.
But Bublik, who will be back in the top 50 after a free-fall from 17th place, closed it out with a big serve to the delight of the supporting crowd. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
32 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Fit and firing Boisson dares to dream as stunning French Open run rolls on
PARIS - At Roland Garros, a venue that has crushed generations of French players, world number 361 Lois Boisson is daring to dream of an improbable triumph after she stormed into the French Open semi-finals on Wednesday to continue her magnificent run. The 22-year-old, in a Grand Slam main draw for the first time, beat Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals having knocked out world number three Jessica Pegula in the previous round. Her WTA ranking belies the true level of Boisson, who was hovering around the 150th place when she sustained a serious knee injury a year ago. Now that she's fit, she is firing and has her eyes firmly fixed on the biggest prize. "For sure, every tennis player dreams of winning a Slam - and for a French player, Roland Garros even more so. I'll go for it because my dream is to win the final, not the semi-final,' Boisson, who will at least break into the world's top 70 next week, told a press conference. The daughter of a former professional basketball player, she has lit up the clay courts in Paris with her gutsy performances and calm demeanour under pressure — a far cry from how she used to be. "When I started tennis, I was very nervous, very emotional on court," Boisson, who faces world number two Coco Gauff on Thursday, told reporters. "It was hurting me too much. I realised I wouldn't go far if I stayed like that. I learned to control it." Boisson, who overcame Andreeva in a tense quarter-final, spoke of how her preparation remains constant whether she is facing a top-10 player or a qualifier. "The preparation is pretty much the same, whether it's against a number 300 or a top 10,' she said. "We analyse the opponent, then I focus on what I have to do with my gameplan.' GOOSEBUMPS Asked about the growing attention on her following her unexpected run, Boisson, who will pocket at least a 690,000 euro ($788,532) cheque for her participation in the semi-finals and can expect almost as much in endorsements and sponsorships, said: 'I don't really think about what's next. I just try to stay focused on this tournament. I'm enjoying what I receive on court and outside the court - it's incredible." The support from the French crowd has been electric, with chants and La Marseillaise ringing around Court Philippe Chatrier on Wednesday. 'At the warm-up, when they played La Marseillaise, I wasn't expecting it - it gave me goosebumps,' she said. 'Having the public behind me like this, it's a real boost.' Boisson said she had learned to embrace the pressure of playing at home - a prospect that has frozen generations of French players at Roland Garros. "Every player feels pressure, maybe more so for a French player at Roland Garros. But you have to deal with it, otherwise you can't win any matches," she said. "I can deal with it — it's okay." Her form has not improved by chance, she stressed. 'It's not a miracle. Maybe a little bit of luck, yes, but it's a lot of hard work too — especially after last year and my rehab.' Boisson, whose varied game has unsettled opponents throughout the tournament, said her natural style has always been one of variety and flair. "My game has always been like that, with a lot of variation. The more I train, the more I can fine-tune it. Maybe my forehand ball is a little different from the other girls'." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
40 minutes ago
- CNA
Fit and firing Boisson dares to dream as stunning French Open run rolls on
PARIS :At Roland Garros, a venue that has crushed generations of French players, world number 361 Lois Boisson is daring to dream of an improbable triumph after she stormed into the French Open semi-finals on Wednesday to continue her magnificent run. The 22-year-old, in a Grand Slam main draw for the first time, beat Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals having knocked out world number three Jessica Pegula in the previous round. Her WTA ranking belies the true level of Boisson, who was hovering around the 150th place when she sustained a serious knee injury a year ago. Now that she's fit, she is firing and has her eyes firmly fixed on the biggest prize. "For sure, every tennis player dreams of winning a Slam - and for a French player, Roland Garros even more so. I'll go for it because my dream is to win the final, not the semi-final,' Boisson, who will at least break into the world's top 70 next week, told a press conference. The daughter of a former professional basketball player, she has lit up the clay courts in Paris with her gutsy performances and calm demeanour under pressure — a far cry from how she used to be. "When I started tennis, I was very nervous, very emotional on court," Boisson, who faces world number two Coco Gauff on Thursday, told reporters. "It was hurting me too much. I realised I wouldn't go far if I stayed like that. I learned to control it." Boisson, who overcame Andreeva in a tense quarter-final, spoke of how her preparation remains constant whether she is facing a top-10 player or a qualifier. "The preparation is pretty much the same, whether it's against a number 300 or a top 10,' she said. "We analyse the opponent, then I focus on what I have to do with my gameplan.' GOOSEBUMPS Asked about the growing attention on her following her unexpected run, Boisson, who will pocket at least a 690,000 euro ($788,532) cheque for her participation in the semi-finals and can expect almost as much in endorsements and sponsorships, said: 'I don't really think about what's next. I just try to stay focused on this tournament. I'm enjoying what I receive on court and outside the court - it's incredible." The support from the French crowd has been electric, with chants and La Marseillaise ringing around Court Philippe Chatrier on Wednesday. 'At the warm-up, when they played La Marseillaise, I wasn't expecting it - it gave me goosebumps,' she said. 'Having the public behind me like this, it's a real boost.' Boisson said she had learned to embrace the pressure of playing at home - a prospect that has frozen generations of French players at Roland Garros. "Every player feels pressure, maybe more so for a French player at Roland Garros. But you have to deal with it, otherwise you can't win any matches," she said. "I can deal with it — it's okay." Her form has not improved by chance, she stressed. 'It's not a miracle. Maybe a little bit of luck, yes, but it's a lot of hard work too — especially after last year and my rehab.' Boisson, whose varied game has unsettled opponents throughout the tournament, said her natural style has always been one of variety and flair. "My game has always been like that, with a lot of variation. The more I train, the more I can fine-tune it. Maybe my forehand ball is a little different from the other girls'."
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Relentless Sinner breezes past Bublik to book semi-final spot
PARIS - World number one Jannik Sinner continued his relentless pursuit of a maiden French Open title with a typically efficient 6-1 7-5 6-0 win over Kazakh showman Alexander Bublik on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals. The near-flawless victory ensured Sinner became the first Italian man to make six Grand Slam semi-finals and extended his winning run at the majors to 19 matches after his triumphs at last year's U.S. Open and the Australian Open in January. "I'm very happy with how I've arrived in the semi-finals. The semi-finals in Grand Slams are very special, I'm looking forward to it," Sinner said. The retraction of Court Philippe Chatrier's roof after a cold, rainy morning signalled the opening of the floodgates as Sinner raced into a 5-0 lead before Bublik got on the board and immediately threatened to break the top seed. Sinner snuffed out his challenge to win the first set with ease but the 23-year-old ran into trouble in the next set when Bublik pulled out trademark drop shots from his bag of tricks and worked his opponent harder to stay level after 10 games. "We've played each other a couple of times already, so we already knew what to expect a little bit. But, in other aspects, you never know how he is going to play," Sinner added. "I feel like he deserved to be in this quarter-final ... I tried to focus on my side of the court. I was trying to play as solid as possible because he can have some ups and downs, so I just needed to stay consistent throughout the whole match." Bublik's untimely dip allowed Sinner to pounce and the three-times Grand Slam champion broke before holding comfortably to stop the brave comeback of his 62nd-ranked opponent and double his advantage in the match. The one-way traffic resumed in the third set, where Bublik hit a failed underarm serve while trying to avoid going a double break down, before Sinner tightened his grip to book a clash with Alexander Zverev or Novak Djokovic. "We'll watch a little bit of it for sure," Sinner said. "As always, I'll also try to switch my brain off because Grand Slams are always mentally tough. We all hope for a high-quality match, that's what is important and what the fans want." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
