Latest news with #Kazakhstan
Reuters
43 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Bublik says Vegas trip helped him compete with the robots
PARIS, May 31 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan's trickster Alexander Bublik always brings a novel approach to his matches and off court too he defies convention, describing how a three-day trip to Las Vegas to let off steam helped turn around his year. The 27-year-old reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for only the second time in his career on Saturday as he beat Portugal's Henrique Rocha 7-5 6-1 6-2, setting up a clash with Briton's fifth seed Jack Draper. Bublik reached a high of 17 in the rankings last year but dropped to 82 in March after a first-round exit at Indian Wells left him questioning whether he had what it took to compete with what he calls the tennis 'robots'. The answer? A trip to The Strip. "To be honest, my fall was not linked with lack of attitude and lack of practising. It was the exact opposite. I just burned out because I was waiting for the results to come," he told reporters. "I was like, if I practise more, if I hit better forehands, it will come. It didn't, and then I got to the point, like, Okay, why am I sacrificing so much? For what? "My coach suggests a trip to Vegas in between Indian Wells and Phoenix. He's like, 'man, if you play like this, we're going to be out of tennis, out of the conversation by Wimbledon." Asked if the trip to the notorious Nevada playground was a training trip to Vegas or a Vegas trip to Vegas, Bublik said: "No, Vegas, Vegas, like a hangover thing Vegas, yeah. "It was a good three days. I arrived three hours before the match in Phoenix. I had just let it all out. I said, I'm useless now, I can't win a match, so let it be, let's see how it goes." What happened was that Bublik reached the final in the second-tier Challenger event and something clicked. During the claycourt season he made the fourth round in Madrid and won a Challenger in Turin. Bublik, who describes himself as a normal guy, said he has accepted that he cannot compete with the world's very best on their terms, so has to bring something different to the table, be it underarm serves, through-the-leg returns or mind-boggling drop shots -- all played with a smile on his face. "I'm not a fighting person. In order for me to win against the best of the best, and I prove that I'm capable of doing that, I have to find ways to outplay them because they will outwork me, outrun me," he said. "I also find the ways to win matches, to find a way how can I beat those guys with what I have, and I have a lot, in terms of an arsenal of shots, shot selections. "Sometimes I have to go for crazy shots, but this is the only option I have. Otherwise, what happened with me when I was 17 is that I tried to play (their game)." In an age of sports science, endless gym work and nutrition plans, Bublik bucks the trend and do not expect him to enter a war of attrition with Draper. "Jack for me is insane. I saw him first day here. I'm like, are you getting ready for UFC?" Bublik said. "Last year the guy is 40 in the world, this year he is top four, that's a crazy achievement. How can I beat him? I don't know. I will just go there, enjoy the time, show what I'm capable of showing."
CNA
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Bublik says Vegas trip helped him compete with the robots
PARIS :Kazakhstan's trickster Alexander Bublik always brings a novel approach to his matches and off court too he defies convention, describing how a three-day trip to Las Vegas to let off steam helped turn around his year. The 27-year-old reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for only the second time in his career on Saturday as he beat Portugal's Henrique Rocha 7-5 6-1 6-2, setting up a clash with Briton's fifth seed Jack Draper. Bublik reached a high of 17 in the rankings last year but dropped to 82 in March after a first-round exit at Indian Wells left him questioning whether he had what it took to compete with what he calls the tennis 'robots'. The answer? A trip to The Strip. "To be honest, my fall was not linked with lack of attitude and lack of practising. It was the exact opposite. I just burned out because I was waiting for the results to come," he told reporters. "I was like, if I practise more, if I hit better forehands, it will come. It didn't, and then I got to the point, like, Okay, why am I sacrificing so much? For what? "My coach suggests a trip to Vegas in between Indian Wells and Phoenix. He's like, 'man, if you play like this, we're going to be out of tennis, out of the conversation by Wimbledon." Asked if the trip to the notorious Nevada playground was a training trip to Vegas or a Vegas trip to Vegas, Bublik said: "No, Vegas, Vegas, like a hangover thing Vegas, yeah. "It was a good three days. I arrived three hours before the match in Phoenix. I had just let it all out. I said, I'm useless now, I can't win a match, so let it be, let's see how it goes." What happened was that Bublik reached the final in the second-tier Challenger event and something clicked. During the claycourt season he made the fourth round in Madrid and won a Challenger in Turin. Bublik, who describes himself as a normal guy, said he has accepted that he cannot compete with the world's very best on their terms, so has to bring something different to the table, be it underarm serves, through-the-leg returns or mind-boggling drop shots - all played with a smile on his face. "I'm not a fighting person. In order for me to win against the best of the best, and I prove that I'm capable of doing that, I have to find ways to outplay them because they will outwork me, outrun me," he said. "I also find the ways to win matches, to find a way how can I beat those guys with what I have, and I have a lot, in terms of an arsenal of shots, shot selections. "Sometimes I have to go for crazy shots, but this is the only option I have. Otherwise, what happened with me when I was 17 is that I tried to play (their game)." In an age of sports science, endless gym work and nutrition plans, Bublik bucks the trend and do not expect him to enter a war of attrition with Draper. "Jack for me is insane. I saw him first day here. I'm like, are you getting ready for UFC?" Bublik said. "Last year the guy is 40 in the world, this year he is top four, that's a crazy achievement. How can I beat him? I don't know. I will just go there, enjoy the time, show what I'm capable of showing."
The Independent
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Jack Draper and Jannik Sinner ‘practice less together' ahead of potential clash
Jack Draper's friendship with Jannik Sinner is on the backburner with the pair on a collision course to meet in the quarter-finals of the French Open. British number one Draper breezed into the fourth round with a commanding 6-2 6-4 6-2 win over Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca. The 23-year-old will play world number 62 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan on Monday for a place in the last eight, where world number one Sinner is likely to be waiting. Sinner and Draper have been good friends off the court for some time and regularly practice together, but the Italian admits things have changed. 'I'm very happy to have him as a friend, but he's now there, things are a little bit different,' he said. 'Of course, you know, we are very good friends off the court, but we practice a little bit less together, because we might know that we can face each other in the later stages of tournaments hopefully, because I always love to play against him.' Draper extended his stay in Paris into the second week after thudding 32 winners past 18-year-old Fonseca and completing a statement win in just one hour and 46 minutes. 'I think it was a solid performance from my side, I did a good job,' said Draper. 'It was tough conditions. I felt like I started off well, and my level didn't really dip throughout the match. It was a good match against a good, up-and-coming player.' Fonseca is a precocious talent who brings a huge, noisy contingent of supporters from his homeland wherever he goes. There were fans in the famous yellow football shirts dotted all around Court Suzanne-Lenglen and they were making themselves heard throughout the early stages. But Draper, who dealt with a partisan crowd when he beat 38-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils on Thursday night, quickly dampened the South American enthusiasm. 'Mentally it was a good performance from me,' added the fifth seed. 'I'm happy to be in the second week here and hopefully there's more to come. 'My first two rounds, I played at night. Playing against Gael the other night, I didn't think I could hit the ball past him. 'It was so cold and I couldn't really do much but today the ball was getting up more and the faster conditions definitely suit me. Either way, I will be ready for my next round. 'Joao has caught the attention of everyone on tour, the players and the fans. Today my experience came through. 'I don't think he has played as many grand slams as I have but he has got an unbelievably bright future so all the best to him.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Draper outclasses rising star Fonseca at French Open
Jack Draper has reached the fourth round at the past three Grand Slams [Getty Images] French Open 2025 Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app Britain's Jack Draper underlined his status as one of the world's leading players with a ruthlessly efficient win over Brazilian rising star Joao Fonseca in the French Open third round. Fifth seed Draper was a cut above his 18-year-old opponent in a 6-2 6-4 6-2 victory. Advertisement Fonseca only broke into the world's top 100 earlier this year, but has created a buzz with his explosive style and ferocious forehand. Draper quickly diffused what could have been a tricky encounter, showing his superior quality and experience from the start. "Joao has caught the attention of the players and the fans. Today my experience came through," Draper said. The 23-year-old Englishman, who had never won a match at Roland Garros until this week, will face either Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik or Portugal's Henrique Rocha in the fourth round. There is also guaranteed to be a second British man in the last 16 with Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie playing each other later on Saturday. Advertisement Mature Draper diffuses Brazilian energy Draper has developed into a top player with ambitions of challenging for the biggest titles over the past 12 months. Possessing tools which are effective across all surfaces has seen Draper turn into a French Open contender. Reaching the Madrid Open final was an early sign of improvement and his performances in Paris have backed that up. Patience was needed in victories over Italy's Mattia Bellucci and French veteran Gael Monfils. It was similar against Fonseca - by biding his time in the rallies and picking attacking shots at the right time, Draper quickly gained control. Advertisement In increasingly faster conditions, the speed and spin of Draper's forehand was particularly difficult for Fonseca to handle as the Briton quickly went a double break up. A double fault for 30-30 in the eighth game offered Fonseca faint hope, before Draper rediscovered his first serve and returned well to take the opening set in 29 minutes. Momentum - and crowd support - started to build for Fonseca in a tighter second set, but Draper quickly extinguished hope with solid service games. He broke for a 4-3 lead which - after saving two break points in the 10th game - was enough for a two-set lead. Advertisement Draper continued to play smartly at the start of the third set, mixing depth of return with deft drop-shots on his way to wrapping up victory. Tempestuous teen still not the real deal The hype around Fonseca has continued to grow - but this was another reminder of how he still needs time to develop. A carnival mood led by thousands of Brazilians has followed Fonseca from Melbourne to Paris this year. Fans patiently queue to see his matches on the smaller courts at the majors, with some people setting up camp at Roland Garros hours before his first two matches. But his clash against Draper being switched to the ticket-only Court Suzanne Lenglen late on Friday evening - after home favourite Arthur Fils withdrew from the tournament injured - worked in the Briton's favour. Advertisement While there was plenty of Brazilian support - easily identified by splashes of yellow and green national flags and Selecao football shirts - it was far from a difficult atmosphere for Draper to handle. "Joao hasn't played as many Grand Slams as I have but he has got an unbelievably bright future so all the best to him," Draper added.
Arabian Business
4 hours ago
- Business
- Arabian Business
OPEC+ countries announce oil production increase
OPEC+ countries have announced a significant increase to oil production levels in July. The eight OPEC+ countries, which previously announced additional voluntary adjustments in April and November 2023 met virtually on May 31 to review global market conditions and outlook. The countries are: Saudi Arabia Russia Iraq UAE Kuwait Kazakhstan Algeria Oman OPEC+ oil production boost In view of a steady global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals, as reflected in the low oil inventories, and in accordance with the decision agreed upon on December 5, 2024 to start a gradual and flexible return of the 2.2 million barrels per day voluntary adjustments starting from 1 April 2025, the eight participating countries will implement a production adjustment of 411,000 barrels per day in July 2025 from June 2025 required production level. This is equivalent to three monthly increments as detailed in the table below. The gradual increases may be paused or reversed subject to evolving market conditions. This flexibility will allow the group to continue to support oil market stability. The eight OPEC+ countries also noted that this measure will provide an opportunity for the participating countries to accelerate their compensation. The eight countries reiterated their collective commitment to achieve full conformity with the Declaration of Cooperation, including the additional voluntary production adjustments that were agreed to be monitored by the JMMC during its 53rd meeting held on April 3, 2024. They also confirmed their intention to fully compensate for any overproduced volume since January 2024.
