Bublik blazes past Draper in 'best moment of my life'

For years the gifted world No.62 has wrestled with staying motivated in the relentless cycle of tennis, entertaining crowds worldwide with his unpredictable shot making.

However, on Monday, Bublik became the first Kazakh man ever to book a men’s singles Grand Slam quarter-final, where he’ll meet either world No.1 Jannik Sinner or Andrey Rublev.

Story of the match

Prior to taking on world No.5 Draper, Bublik stated: “How can I beat him? I don't know. I will just go there, enjoy the time, show what I'm capable of showing."

Bublik, who has never gone beyond the second round in previous trips to Paris, demonstrated exactly what he’s capable of.

British No.1 Draper had the first true chance at 4-4, but witnessed a 188kph second serve ace whistle past his racket.

The world No.5 proved his class two games later, scooping a backhand down the line. Bublik couldn’t quite believe it was in, leaning over to check the mark. It was indeed good and helped put Draper a set ahead by the finest of margins.

Draper’s drop shot was hailed “too good” by the Kazakh as the Brit also earned an instant break to start the second set.

Back came Bublik, however, and in some style.

A volley clipped over from down by his shoelaces was a telling sign that the 27-year-old was starting to find his groove.

A ferocious forehand dragged Draper wide and at full stretch, Bublik managed to carve a backhand volley for a winner. His team rose to their feet, it was pure theatre as he levelled the tie.

Razor-sharp reactions at the net kept Bublik in the ascendancy, the disguised drop shots kept Draper guessing, the underdog was holding his arms aloft, cajoling the crowd while now just a set away from the biggest victory of his career.

Time for Draper to venture forward only for Bublik to rattle a forehand crosscourt pass, the catalyst for an immediate break in the fourth set.

How would Bublik cope serving out for a quarter-final spot at 5-4? Draper tested his mettle with one of the points of the fortnight. The No.5 seed sprinted to meet yet another Bublik drop shot, then raced back to retrieve a lob with what looked like a squash shot which caught the net-rushing Kazakh off guard.

The two break points for Draper that followed could have provided the turning point, but Bublik – even with two double faults heightening the drama – kept fighting off danger with full-throttle tennis.

In his 26th Grand Slam main draw, finally Bublik broke new ground. The duo shared a warm embrace, before the Kazakh blew kisses to the crowd and was visibly emotional in front of a standing ovation.

Key stats

A total of 68 winners for Bublik tell part of the story. The 27-year-old threw in a staggering 37 drops shots and 19 volley winners in an exhibition of touch and feel.

Earlier at RG2025, Bublik reeled in world No.9 Alex de Minaur from two sets down for an enthralling escape act. Now, the world No.62 is the lowest-ranked man to earn two top 10 wins at Roland-Garros since No.100 Andrei Medvedev en route to the Roland-Garros 1999 final.

What Bublik had to say

Acknowledging the raucous crowd: “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.

"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."

Assessing his performance: "I left it all out there. I have a certain skill set to play tennis, and it worked marvellously today. It's 100 per cent one of the best matches I have ever played in my life. That was as simple as that."

On appearing nerveless on court: "Sometimes I feel like there are a certain amount of matches I have played in my life, for example, the Halle title that I won [2023], the Roland-Garros in doubles that I didn't [2021 runner-up], and today's match, sometimes I have a feeling like there is only one chance.

"I told myself, 'You have this chance, you do your best. If it doesn't work, I'm out.' In certain moments I do believe there is only one chance. That's why I played full and I played high risk, because that was the only chance."