Jack Draper's rise up the rankings branded ‘insane' by French Open opponent
Fifth seed Draper takes on Kazakhstan's world number 62 in the fourth round on Monday.
'Jack for me is insane. I mean, last year the guy is 40 in the world. This year he is top five in the world,' said Bublik.
'That's a crazy achievement. He doesn't seem to stop, so I mean, what do I have to do to beat him? I don't know.
'I will just go there, enjoy the time, show what I'm capable of showing, and we all know what I'm capable of doing on court and then we see how it goes.
'This is the approach I have now, and Jack is a great sportsman, great person.'
Draper, 23, has played Bublik twice on the ATP Tour, beating him at Queen's Club in 2021 and in Adelaide last year.
'I know him since I played him in the qualifiers of Queen's in 2018 or something (a three-set win for Bublik in 2019). He was a little kid,' added Bublik.
'Then when he beat me in Queen's, and he told me 'I finally got you'. I said 'let's speak when you're in the top 50', because he was like 300 in the world, and now he's top five.
'So now I have to have some courage to play, and we'll see how it goes.'
There will be a likely quarter-final meeting with world number one Jannik Sinner for the winner.
Cameron Norrie has ticked off a career milestone having reached the fourth round of every grand slam.
Loving the fight @cam_norrie 🦾
Into the @rolandgarros last 16 for the first time!#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/Bq0VQUHDTT
— LTA (@the_LTA) June 1, 2025
The 29-year-old has beaten Daniil Medvedev, Federico Gomez and Jacob Fearnley in Saturday evening's battle of Britain to set up a meeting with 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic.
Norrie, who has endured a rough couple of years which has seen his ranking drop from top 10 to 81, said: 'To make the second week for the first time is so, so good and at a time where I was not really stringing a lot of matches and a lot of wins together.
'I was able to build from the momentum that I've really struggled to get from the last year and a half, for different reasons.
'So I think it was really fun and a really good week so far, and there's still plenty of tennis to be played, which I'm excited for.
'I've just been enjoying my tennis, and I think I wanted to do that again. Another chance to play a really competitive match against one of the best players in the world at the moment.'
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North Wales Chronicle
2 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
It hurts a lot – Jack Draper out of French Open after defeat to Alexander Bublik
The British number one and fifth seed seemed to have his head scrambled by the unpredictable slugger from Kazakhstan as he slumped to a 5-7 6-3 6-2 6-4 loss. It meant an end to Britain's hopes in the singles at Roland Garros after Cameron Norrie, somewhat less surprisingly, was beaten by Novak Djokovic about an hour earlier. Soaking in all the emotions 🥹#RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2025 Instead, 27-year-old Bublik – the world number 62 – became the first Kazakh man to reach a grand slam quarter-final. 'It was a tough match. I didn't play a good match, but I also didn't play a bad match,' Draper said. 'I thought he played incredibly well. He didn't allow me to play my tennis, I don't think. 'I don't think I've reached my best level this week. Then today just a couple of dips here and there, and he took advantage. Defeat for Jack Draper to an inspired Alexander Bublik in Paris#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #RolandGarros — LTA (@the_LTA) June 2, 2025 'Usually when you play someone like Alexander, he's quite up and down with his level, but he was completely locked in. 'It hurts a lot, but I just move on. I'm hurt, and for sure I'm really disappointed. I had an opportunity today, and I missed my opportunity, for sure. 'I struggle to put things in perspective, but I think I am proud of the effort that I've done on the clay. I think I've really improved. 'I always use the lessons from my losses. I always use the fuel and the hurt to better myself. 'It will take a couple of days probably to get over it, but I will, and I'll move on and keep on getting better.' Draper had matched Bublik serve for serve in the first set until he was gifted the break for 6-5 by a double-fault. The 23-year-old also broke at the start of the second, but from then on things just seemed to unravel. Bublik, to his credit, was hitting the ball gloriously at times, his drop-shots repeatedly leaving Draper stranded. The stress on Draper's face was there for all to see as Bublik marched into a 2-1 lead, with the Londoner simply unable to halt the momentum. In a marathon final game Draper saved a match point and had five break points, but was unable to take any of them. In the build-up to the match Bublik had compared Draper to a UFC fighter, but after two hours and 34 minutes it was the 6ft 5in underdog who landed the knockout blow. Bublik said afterwards: 'You know sometimes in life there is only one chance. I had a feeling that I was mine and I couldn't let it slip. Bublik getting emotional after his huge win 🥹#RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2025 'Standing here this is the best moment of my life. That's amazing, monsieurs et madames, thank you very much.' Grinning from ear to ear as the crowd gave him a standing ovation, he hilariously cut short his on-court interview. 'You know I'm standing here like I won the thing,' he added. 'I could cry here. Stop. I still have a match to go. I'm a professional tennis player. I have to get ready.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
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Aussie star Daria Kasatkiina throws her wristband at opponent Mirra Andreeva after losing at the French Open - but all is not as it seems
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Reuters
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Andreeva keeps Kasatkina's wristband as reminder of French Open win
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