Jack Draper out of French Open after Alexander Bublik masterclass at Roland Garros

New York Times

2 days ago

ROLAND GARROS, PARIS — Jack Draper, the British No. 5 seed, is out of the French Open after being bewitched by a mind-bending performance from the mercurial Alexander Bublik.
Draper was a big favourite going into the match against the unseeded Bublik, but he found himself increasingly frazzled on the way to a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 defeat. Bublik has been ranked as high as No. 17, but during the tournament has spoken openly about how he'll never be someone who matches the unstinting work ethic and dedication of the top players on the tour, including Draper. Currently ranked No. 62, he had never before reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal, but his mixture of easy power and outrageous shotmaking skills and variety can make him borderline unplayable on any given day.
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Monday was one of those days. Draper said after beating Gael Monfils last week that his brain was 'fried' during their match. It seemed on fire at times against Bublik, who would bullet an ace one moment, then chuck in a feathered drop shot the next, all the while changing the spins and power he was putting on the ball to keep Draper guessing. After falling down a set and a break, it briefly looked as though Bublik might lose interest as has often been his wont. When two sets down to the No. 9 seed Alex de Minaur in the second round, Bublik said afterward that his mind wandered to the logistics of getting home to Monte Carlo, where the Kazakh lives.
Instead it was Draper who looked like he'd lost concentration. The Brit is one of the biggest hitters on the tour, but Bublik stopped giving him pace to work with and Draper couldn't generate enough of his own. He started to lose confidence in his forehand and serve, and Bublik was relishing his role as the provocateur. After Draper double-faulted early in the third set, Bublik turned to his box and gave them a wink. It brought back memories of Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo doing the same thing to his team's substitutes' bench, after England's Wayne Rooney had been sent off in the 2006 World Cup quarterfinal. Bublik's message was clear: I've got this guy.
He gave his box another meaningful look at the start of the fourth set, after sending an outrageous forehand passing shot flying past his stricken opponent. It helped Bublik break to love in a game that also included two return winners and a drop shot that Draper couldn't get near.
That proved to be the decisive moment, as Bublik served his way through the rest of the set to reach a first major quarterfinal, fending off three break points in a typically madcap final game that included a drop shot that hit the net and dribbled over, two double faults and a feathered volley winner. Draper, who looked down and out when Bublik went up 15-0 in that game, turned it into a potential turning point with an absurd get, flicking a ball back over the net from behind his back. Had Bublik not served things out right then, he may never have done so.
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Despite this disappointment, Draper can take a huge amount from a clay-court swing that has taken him up to No. 5 in the world and will likely see him ranked No. 4 next Monday when the world rankings update.
For Bublik, a Roland Garros quarterfinal is not a bad effort for a player who said last week that: 'I'm the guy you can see me having a nice time down the street in Paris in the evening before the match. Not to go crazy, but I'm social. I can skip the practice if I don't feel, and I think it's pretty normal.'